Once Bitten
by Clear as Mud
Summary: ...twice shy? Please; that's for wimps. And Aja Ryve, while having been bitten more than a couple times in her life, has never backed down from any challenge. But she's not quite sure if she's ready for the challenges a visiting Yautja warrior brings.
1. Chapter 1

Streaks of plum painted a bold skyline. Charcoal silhouettes stood towering above comparatively insect-like flits of shadows, high, keening screeches of sirens shattering a would-be tranquil twilight. The acrid stench of big city fumes wafted beyond the outer limits; sparse vegetation a direct consequence. Dim slivers of moonlight pierced through wispy clouds in the north. A rare view of golden sunset and crescent moon bathed the evening in shades of ethereal origins.

Or, if Aja wasn't being quite so poetic, it was time to polish her silver, get the anchor out of her behind, and head on over to the looming menace of Anazemal. Aja's lips tightened with instinctual tension as she did a reflexive pat-down to make sure all of her blades were thoroughly concealed within her trench. With a curt nod to herself, she set her pace towards the outskirts of the restless suburb. The loamy earth of late fall gave slightly under her boot-clad soles, but her speed was too great for the ground to swallow her. With the speed of her kind, the five mile distance was covered in little more than a minute, though it could have been less if she hadn't forgone last night's meal for an extra hour of sleep. Go figure.

The acrid stench of big city fumes wafted to her nostrils, making her cringe in disgust at the assault to her sensitive nose. She should have been used to this by now, should have adapted the raunchy scent. Yet another reason why she should have eaten.

Stopping just outside of the more residential area, Aja quickly skimmed the vacant streets and continued at a more inconspicuous pace towards the heart of Anazemal. Giant skyscrapers thrust upward at an almost ridiculous height, seemingly brushing the heavens themselves. Aja snorted softly to herself and flitted around a steel and stone apartment building, her trench coat and loose black slacks blending perfectly with the shadows. She glanced up and around, searching for anyone stupid enough to delve into an inner city alley at night. When nothing more than crumpled litter and a lone rat met her gaze, she suddenly launched her small figure up the wall. Old mortar crumbled beneath her fingers but held on nonetheless. Scaling buildings wasn't an art she normally practiced, but tonight called for it especially. Once halfway up, Aja utilized the convenience of fire escapes, pouncing from one to the other until finally she had reached the top of the seven story building, landing on the ledge in a crouch. Her pulse throbbed in her ears, and her heart beat an erratic tune in her chest; she needed to work out some more if something as insignificant as climbing got her huffing and puffing. Scraping stray tendrils of her onyx locks back into her severe bun, she hopped off the ledge, grasping the sai blades to her side to keep them from clanging together. All she needed was one wrong move to alert her presence, and Sol would _not_ be happy if she managed to fail two missions in a row. Not that she gave a flying flip. It was more or less the fear of failure that pressed her onward.

The rich, meaty scent of recent death and gore hit her like an airborne piano in old cartoons. Grimacing to herself and resisting the urge to plug her nose to block the tempting odor, she carefully grasped the sai in one hand, though she probably wouldn't need it on this night. Sol, being his usual patronizing self, thought that Aja hadn't been capable of completing the last assassination because the target had been stronger than her. Really, though she would never tell Sol, the assigned target had been a familiar face. Aja couldn't bring herself to kill her.

So, in lieu of any other options, she had sliced herself up a bit with her own weapons and claimed being overpowered. And it was a good thing that Sol was as big an idiot as he was a pompous ass. She would have been fried, literally.

The near-silent rustle of silk on silk alerted her to company. Crouching lower to the ground in a cat walk, Aja brought the sai up to her sides, one in each hand, and slowly stalked to the left behind a tall vent duct. The cloying musk of blood and sweat with a sugary undertone reached her nose. Hunger and nausea warred in her body, but this situation called for well-practiced, careful maneuvers, not tactics based on instinctual needs. Tensing her body against the onslaught, she clung the edge of the vent, refusing to show herself before she first sighted her quarry. This one seemed to be taking its sweet time. Aja was used to waiting though. Years and years of experience had granted her a great deal of patience. The dizzying odor of the creature seemed to grow stronger, closer. A tall figure melted out of the gloom. Aja's supernatural instincts took over, and she silently disappeared into the dark just as it passed her.

A low hiss resonated from the figure, and Aja knew she had been discovered. She growled to herself for losing the element of surprise; she hadn't planned on this one being smart enough to look for her. With steeled resignation, she grasped the sai and launched at the man with all the speed granted to her kind. Speed that was mirrored in this one. Sol had assigned her a Scyre, a lower master. Aja frowned in indignation; she had been prepared for no more than a fledgling. She quickly spun away from a well aimed kick to her left side. No matter.

Spinning again in the opposite direction, she swiftly stashed the sai back under her trench. A Scyre would know an element; blades wouldn't do much good against it. Sure enough, just as the thought passed her, the air seemingly tightened around her, sucking her closer to the man, her boots scraping against the stone of the roof. Using one of her own elements, she blasted a fistful of flame at the man's head, instantly relieving the pressure. The momentary lapse of the man's concentration proved to be enough to land a flaming roundhouse to the chest, knocking him to the floor. A powerful gale swept her off balance as he instantly shot up from his prone position. Distantly, Aja concluded that this guy was newer to his element and its uses; he could have easily sucked the oxygen from her and disabled her flaming attacks. She darted to the side as he rushed her with a right hook that would have surely broken a jaw. This guy seemed to be more brawn than brains, though, which became apparent as he foolishly exposed his back to her. A few rapidly placed blows to his kidneys and lower spine had him on his knees, and a shaft of silver protruding from his chest. Immediately, the body shriveled and disintegrated, leaving nothing more than a withered husk of what the Scyre had been. Aja yanked the silver stake from the vampire's chest cavity, wiping the sizzling blood on the sleeve of her coat.

As far as fights went, this one had been a cinch. Scyres had a nasty habit of being arrogant. They figured that since they had managed to survive for so long, they were invincible. Which only made them easier to kill. Honestly, Aja had faced lowly fledglings that had caused her more trouble than this brute. At least this one hadn't made much noise to alert others. She was probably too underfed to complete a successful session of mind control, compulsion.

Aja completed a once-over of the corpse. The bloodless shell would be easy to burn, and she did just that. The greasy black smoke rolled off the body in waves, forcing Aja to cover her nose. Slimy ash was all that remained after mere moments, and a quick blast of artificial wind swept them into the night breeze.

Aja hummed to herself in satisfaction; now she could go eat. In a flash, she darted over the building's ledge and hastily scrambled to the paved ground. Her knees jarred with the force of the landing but was otherwise unaffected.

Throngs of night owls met her entrance into the main street. The collective odor of hundreds of human beings overpowered the residual brimstone smell of the fire she controlled, which also acted as a decent repellent on nights when she wasn't after a meal. But tonight it would work against her; she had become accustomed to luring prey to her, not hunting them as she had in an earlier life.

"Are you lost, miss?" A booming voice called from a few yards beside her. Aja swiveled towards the familiar bass. The owner of the voice was barely taller than her with wavy blue-black hair that curled to his chin. Broad lips pulled into a politely inquisitive smile, murky gray eyes seemingly concerned. Sol had always been a terrible actor. Aja, in her own caustic demeanor, gave him a curt shake of the head.

"No, sir. I was just looking for my street." Sol dropped the polite pedestrian façade and regarded Aja with steady eyes.

"Good. I was beginning to think I would have to replace you," he said so softly that, even with sharpened hearing, Aja almost lost it in the roar of voices and traffic.

_ And by "replace" you mean "shove a stake through, cast to the higher-ups, and go about my merry way." _Aja thought in contempt at the man, her _master_, before her. She was unable to mask the tremor of fury that racked her small frame. Sol took notice of this and smirked, a cruel tease just begging to be released from his mouth.

"Say it. Just say it. You'll regret ever binding me," Aja growled fiercely, brazenly fingering the stake at her belt. Sol caught the movement and growled right back, fangs flashing.

"Raise your hand against me, and I'll toss you to the Ancients." Aja's fury sparked, rippling through her in a haze of blind enmity and malice. She clenched her fists to conceal the smoke simmering between her fingers. "And you know I can do it," he breathed into her ear. He was standing so close she could smell his last meal on his breath. Sharp nails bit into her palms. _Calm. Stay calm. It won't last forever_. She parted her dry lips to reply, but Sol was gone before she could utter a word. Coward. Growling to herself, she followed his lead and melted into the crowd like a drop of water in a puddle, darting between people and vehicles at speeds humans couldn't distinguish.

Her veins contracted sharply, a painful reminder that food was now top priority. Once across the heavily occupied street, she raced into the nearest alley. Blood was in the air. She could smell it. An early drunk had stumbled into the small side street and had cut himself on a broken bottle. An easy meal. Before the inebriated bum could spout a curse at being shoved to the broken pavement, Aja had covered his mouth and buried her fangs deep in his throat. Warm spurts of the decadent liquid gushed into her mouth and down her parched throat, the alcohol in his system adding a slight burn to the taste. It revived her though. Gods, how it revived her…She nearly purred in pleasure.

She drank deeply for a few moments, spurred on by the drunk's moans of delight. On a lower level of consciousness, Aja was glad that he was drunk; it would take the edge off of her venom and keep him from suffering an addiction to the substance. Gently, she relaxed her hold on the now pliant, dazed human and set him against the grimy wall of the alley. He lazily grinned at nothing in particular and sighed in content.

Aja felt better than she had in days. Like she could walk on water or climb Mt. Everest. Practically giddy, she pranced away from the alley. Screw Sol. If he wanted to hand her over to the higher ups, then let him. She could probably handle them, anyways. Of course, on a more level-headed plane of thought, Aja knew that was all bravado. No one of lower vampire lineage could possibly hope to best an Ancient. Even the greatest of masters fell to an original's powers. Some said they could wield lighting, the very heavens themselves. Granted, anyone who fought them probably didn't survive to tell of what the Ancients were capable of; it was only hearsay.

Lost in slightly drunken thoughts, Aja had unknowingly set her course for the apartment she had killed the Scyre at. The sickly sweet stench of his ashes burned her nostrils, but another scent lay just beneath it. This one was…what was it? It was musky but heady and fragrant, like citrus and sweat. Only this sweat smelled really, _really_ good. Aja parted her mouth slightly to breathe in the heady odor, the smell instantly crashing into her brain and making her heart beat faster, her body heating deliciously. Waves of heat seemed to shimmer on the roof. Oh, dear God, was she drunk? Lovely, just lovely.

She quickened her pace and fled back to the outer circle of Anazemal. The crowds were thinner, the air easier to breathe. She staggered slightly and grumbled to herself at her own stupidity. The title of "master" did not belong to one dumb enough to drink from a drunk. She supposed that's why Sol thought he could control her, but she batted the mutinous thought away. She could still kick his ass any day of the week, blood or no blood, drunk or not. She was over 200 years his senior and had trained in the art of killing, had perfected several styles of fighting that could make the strongest warrior blanch in self-doubt. Sol had lived a life of luxury and privilege. The little punk was nothing more than a fly she could easily swat away. It was the threat of the Ancients that kept Aja tied to him. A direct descendant of one of the five original vampires, Sol had much more political control than Aja. Oh, sure, her own father was the Second in Council, but they hated each other with a passion, and she would receive no assistance from Daddy Dearest. Ever.

"Daddy don't love you no more…" Aja sang in a soft, lilting tune. She scoffed at herself; Daddy never loved her, period.

It was after midnight by the time she got back to her loft. Running the distance would not have allowed her such a magnificent view of the night sky, after all. She quietly entered the brick building, careful not to wake Miriam, the owner of Witch's Bar & Brew, her landlord. And then face palmed herself for her ignorance; Miriam was on vacation in the Bahamas till the end of the month, courtesy of Aja's advanced rent. She relocked the door and wandered upstairs.

Being a vampire, or at least part vampire, had granted Aja an eternity. A life limited only by her own mistakes, not age. And while some thought immortality was the best thing since sliced bread, Aja considered it more of a hassle than it was worth. Not only did she have to constantly relocate, but she also had to change her name, get a new birth certificate every seventy years or so, buy new cars…the list went on and on.

But this place, this little loft, was her most cherished possession at the moment. After little more than two years, she had already personalized it to her own unique tastes. She had kept the beige colored walls but had ripped out the dingy scarlet carpet that looked like it had been through hell and back. Cherry wood now took its place, though she regretted it every winter; even vampires weren't totally immune to winter's bite. Dozens of paintings littered the walls, some old, some new; some cheap, some extraordinarily expensive. Aja still grimaced at the cost of some of them, but they were all worth it. Beautiful nature scenes of every kind opened seemingly endless portals of life in the small living space. Anything from waterfalls and crashing ocean waves to tropical rainforests and high, misty mountains adorned the walls in a collage of colors and sensations. She also indulged in the literary arts, the huge cases of books a testament to that. Aja had never felt more at home.

Other than the creative arts and a computer, Aja hadn't much cared for anything else. She had bought the furniture from a local stock and had replaced the old bathtub with a newer, yet indistinguishable model. Nothing else was of much importance to her, and the whole "all vampires are rich because they're old" deal was a bunch of hooey. The vampire mistress had managed to stay afloat but had never been rich by anyone's standards.

Shedding the layers of leather, boots and trench coat full of weapons carelessly thrown in random areas, she staggered over to the teal couch and gracelessly flopped onto the plush surface. And then she realized she was being stupid and went to retrieve her weapons from the inner depths of the trench. After fishing out the small array of light weaponry -a handful of throwing stars, two daggers, the stake, and the sai swords- she carefully placed them back on their respective racks. She'd have to clean the stake later, but that could wait. The brimstone smell would have to go first.

Aja loped over to the bathroom on stiff legs. Why did she have so many damn kinks these days? Ugh, she needed a bubble bath…Unfortunately, she was due for her shift working the bar within the next hour. Aja, one of only three baristas who ran Witch's Bar & Brew, was in charge of opening up every other night of the week plus Saturdays. She hadn't been able to open it for the last week; she had been in France, hunting Violante.

The fifteenth century beauty had been in control of northern France for the better half of the millennium. Sol had seen this as an incredible disadvantage to his "I'm-an-evil-bastard-and-want-to-rule-the-world" plan and had ordered Aja to slay her. Of course, that had ended in failure. Kind of. Violante and Aja hadn't been what one would consider friends, but they were familiar with each other, had been allies in a long forgotten battle. And Aja took any chance bestowed upon her to rebel against Sol. He had been furious, to say the least. Aja, the lone, outcast hunter, master of the elements, and daughter of Antigone, had fallen to the Master of France? Not entirely impossible, but surely improbable. Which Sol knew, but, amazingly he hadn't made too huge a deal about it. France must not have been too important.

Aja irritably kicked the unwanted musings to the back of her throbbing head. She needed some time to relax. Stripping the ash laden slacks and blouse off her achy body and tossing them in the hamper, she adjusted the temperature of the water, forcefully ripped out the band holding her hair up and hopped under the powerful cascade. Damn, she had needed this…She groaned softly as the pressure of the water massaged her back and neck, soothing the tortured muscles. Draining water swirled with cloudy gray ribbons and streaks of crimson. Aja frowned. Had she been injured? Or had she just been sloppy with her meal? She mentally shrugged and continued cleansing herself. The soft, scintillating fragrance of vanilla wrapped around her like a blanket, dulling her senses. Her thoughts returned to that wonderful aroma she had experienced earlier. Rich and sweet, like chocolate and blood, but musky and masculine, woodsy. Aja hummed quietly in rapture. In desire.

Abruptly she flipped the temperature to Arctic and froze her obscene thoughts before they could bloom to fruition. She might be a vampire, a being thought to be soulless and immoral, but she had her dignity! It was just a smell, anyways…nothing of much importance.

Water now running clear, Aja figured she was clean enough for a public appearance and hopped out of the frigid shower, wrapping herself in a toasty terry cloth towel. She did a quick rub down, indiscreetly pulling strands of wetness from her hair with a few fancy flicks of her wrist. She thoughtlessly whipped them into the sink. Hurriedly, she fled to her room and proceeded to tear apart her closet.

Fashion wasn't really her thing and, sadly, people noticed. She tended to stick with whatever was easy to move in; sweatpants and loose fitting tee shirts and some longer sleeved articles. When she had been hired at Witch's Bar & Brew, Aja's wardrobe had gone through a drastic change, leaving her with articles that barely covered the essentials and, quite frankly, scared the hell out of her. Well, at first. She had grown used to the tight-fitting leather and flashy halter tops after awhile. Tonight she stuck with a simple sleeveless red low cut top and dark jeans; she wasn't up to doing anything more risqué, and the red looked good on her dusky toned skin. Aja pinned up her long, black tresses into a messy bun with long tendrils artfully framing her face. After adding a few gold bangles on her wrists, she considered herself at least half-way presentable. And if the bar goers thought to the contrary, they could just stuff it and leave. No skin off her nose.

Without forewarning, heat bloomed beneath her skin, fire skimming the sensitive nerve endings and flickering to life with unanticipated warmth, making Aja gasp in great gulps of air. The smell was back in full force. It literally knocked her senseless, forcing her to her knees. Hastily, she covered her nose and wrapped her free arm around her torso. Every muscle was locked in nervous tension. Her blood pumping faster and slower at the same time, the heated liquid a sluggish pulse inside her.

Even with her mind swimming in scattered thoughts, one in particular made itself apparent: if she ever found the source of this damn smell, she'd have to get rid of it. Whatever it was. Vampires' sense of smell was horribly sensitive, and this…this would have to go. She couldn't function with it around.

Movement. Something was in the house.

Vampire-quick, Aja leapt from her prone position on the floor. The silver stake was violently snatched from her wall of weapons, the Scyre's blood still crusted on it. A shimmer caught her eye, light reflecting. She was positioned for defense, crouching low to the carpeted floor; good, if she needed to run, it would be easier on carpet than wood. Eyes flickering to and fro, Aja resisted the urge to scream in frustration. Arousal mixed with battle lust…wonderful. The shimmer, if there had even been one, was gone. Or she just couldn't see it. Maybe it was only visible when it moved. Grasping at straws was never a good battle tactic, but it was all she had now. And the damn heat was keeping her in a fluttering haze of lust.

"Show yourself," Aja growled softly, the stake poised for a strike in her right hand, a glowing ball of flame crackling in her left. "I can smell you. I saw you. _Show yourself_."

Silence made her ears pound as they strained for the slightest noise, a miniscule movement. Tension welled in the air. Aja's heart beat spasmodically, her temples pulsing with the force of blood flow, her lungs contracting in uneven panting. Wide, violet eyes roved the large room in a careful sweep. Every nook and cranny was analyzed with utmost care.

Nothing.

But the smell was still strong, stronger than mere moments ago, perhaps. Aja slowly lowered the stake back to its rack, but the fireball remained in her grasp, ready. For what, she wasn't entirely sure. But something put her on edge, and she wasn't one to ignore her instincts. With a last suspicious analysis of her bedroom, she spoke softly in resignation. "Alright, fine. Be a damn coward. You're still here. Next time you feel like spying on me, douse the pheromones a little." She said. Then muttered more to herself than her possible assailant, "They're driving me crazy."

Hands still sizzling, she slowly relaxed from her crouch and inched out of the room, her back to the door. The flames flickered, tempting her to send a jet of fire towards her invisible stalker. But she held back. She wasn't stupid enough to make the first move in a potential confrontation.

As she stalked downstairs to the bar, she could swear she heard clicking. Purring? Whatever. It was creepy as hell. And it proved that she wasn't going insane: something, or someone, was here.

For it's own sake, she hoped it wasn't another of Sol's subordinates.

*

**A/N: I know, I know. "Dude, seriously ANOTHER vampire + Predator story? WTF?" Yes, I'll admit it's a bit overdone these days, but I couldn't help it; I love vamps as much as Yautja, so it's only natural that I want to smoosh them together.**

**Anyways, this is my first attempt at a fanfic…care to tell me how I did?**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Does it really come as any surprise that I don't own Predator? Yeah, didn't think so.**

*

Rai'ken couldn't believe his luck. Years and years of relentless searching had finally brought forth a potential specimen. All the characteristics were there: the aggression, the feeding habits; he'd even gotten close enough on one occasion to see the uniquely keen points of its canines. And tonight his suspicions were proved true. He had seen it feed. Sure, the creature seemed a bit crazed and feral, but it was nothing a strong sedative couldn't handle.

Rai'ken had always been fascinated with the human world, much to his peers' perturbation. But he was an Honored Warrior now and had the right to whatever obsession he desired to harbor. It was a completely plausible fascination, nonetheless. Humans and Yautja were more alike than some of his people wished to acknowledge. While most tended to ignore this, Rai'ken embraced it. Or, at least, some of it.

Humans seemed to have as many myths and legends as his kind, and it was these that pulled his interest towards the blue and green planet in the first place. Over the course of his life, he had studied the lore of the creatures of Earth that humans raved over and had found the stories to be…well, _incredible_ was an understatement, but that was the gist of it. And everyone knew that all fables were pearls grown from a grain of truth.

The stories that had captivated him and his grandfather -the provider of the reading material- most was of the creatures referred to as "vampires."

It was a confusing subject. In all of his years, he had yet to come across any legend of the blood drinking creature that did not differ from the other. Really, the only element that remained stable in all the stories was the fact that they drank the blood of living beings. Immortality seemed to be a common theme as well, but that just seemed too far fetched; no creature could live forever. There were so many differences, so many wild tales of demons and fiends, ruthless killers. He didn't know what to believe, so he had set out for some research of his own.

That had been over five years ago, and the minimal contact he'd had with the Homeworld and other hunting parties had isolated him almost entirely. He'd never felt more alone. And more liberated. He was free to do whatever he wished without consequence administered by his people, though he never let those thoughts lead him in his excursions. He was no Bad Blood.

And finally, _finally_ his ostensibly futile search had culminated with the find of this creature.

It had been in the middle of a fight when he had first found it a little over a month ago. A group of three…things…had been attacking the female concurrently, overpowering her. The female had appeared to be in rough shape, and Rai'ken figured it had been very near death. He had been prepared to intervene; three on one was a huge disadvantage for the girl. Then a second showed up, a stout male. Whatever the newcomer had done, it had frightened the three assailants away, their sinewy bodies dissipating into thin air, it seemed. The male had then turned on the female, forcing something inside her mouth via his wrist. Whatever it was, it hadn't been well-received. The girl had kicked and thrashed the entire time. Rai'ken didn't know what to make of the situation. The female appeared to be just fine, so he hadn't followed through on his planned assistance.

The male appeared to be a superior of the female; wherever he went, she would follow, albeit unwillingly, Rai'ken had noticed. Which didn't make any sense to him. A female under the control of a male? Unthinkable.

Rai'ken had been following the two ever since, concentrating on the male. The idea that he might have encountered the elusive vampire -it certainly didn't act like a _human_- had been too tempting to resist. He had been disappointed beyond belief when he found that the male did not fight or even seem to be capable of doing so. Rai'ken had had half a mind to kill him out of frustration.

Then he had focused back on the female.

That one seemed to be ruthlessness epitomized. It definitely had anger issues, and he had recently discovered, to his greatest astonishment, that it seemed to procure fire from its body. That had not been mentioned in the books. The female also seemed to favor a variety of blades when killing and often incorporated bursts of fire into the violent slashes.

The female, he had deduced, must have been an assassin of sorts among her kind, specializing in the art of executing other vampires. A poor one at times, though. Just a few nights ago, Rai'ken had witnessed her purposely botch a kill, and then literally beat herself up afterwards. Mental instability, he surmised.

Still, when she did kill, it was with incredible speed and accuracy, rarely leaving more than a handful of ashes left of the body. Her speed was unnerving. The vampire seemed to just blur from point A to point B without any strenuous effort. He wondered if this was subjective to this one alone or was a trait of vampires in general; but, as this specimen was the only one he had yet to track and study extensively, he had yet to find out.

On more than one occasion, Rai'ken had heard the female curse to a number of gods (or what he assumed were deities of some kind; he hadn't studied the numerous religions practiced by humans) after bumping someone off. Assassin or not, the female seemed reluctant to do the deed. Odd. But intriguing enough to keep his attention.

Her feeding habits were less than savory, as he'd found out earlier that night. Rai'ken still couldn't understand what would compel a creature to drain another of blood for sustenance, but that was his basis for studying vampires in the first place. He just wished it wasn't so disturbing to witness. One thing he had noticed about the female was that she didn't completely drain her victim of blood , as many of the legends had said vampires did. She left them alive. And, as strange as it sounded, she left her prey in a haze of pleasure, not unlike the bliss of mating.

That _definitely_ wasn't mentioned.

Rai'ken wished he had come prepared for a formal hunt, but he had only come to the planet for personal research, equipped with the bare minimum of his weapons: the standard wrist blades, a pair of shuriken, a basic plasma caster, and his spear. Nevertheless, he was here, he had found a vampire, and he was going to study its every movement until his curiosity was sated.

Presently he was standing stock still in the female's living quarters, a bold move on his part, studying the environment she had subjected herself to. It was an interesting find, he supposed. Rai'ken had assumed that because of her constant travels to fulfill an assignment, the female would be too busy to manage a permanent home. Upon following her, he had discovered that he was, yet again, wrong. Not only did the structure reek of aged wood and stone, but it also smelled strongly of the vampire herself, proving that she did indeed spend a lot of time in the vicinity.

The smell caught Rai'ken off guard. The female had always smelled smoky, courtesy of her use of fire, no doubt, but there was also an underlay of musky sweetness that was definitively feminine. While tracking her in the outside world, the smell had been faint, barely distinguishable amongst the throngs of other Earth dwellers. Now, face to face with the creature of many a human's nightmare, the scent was almost overwhelming. Almost. It was only with his superior force of will that he reined his hungers in. Involuntarily, he drew in a deeper breath, inhaling as much of the scent as possible; he could literally feel his pupils dilate.

The female herself seemed to blaze brighter in the infrared view of his visor, a heat he could feel his own body mirroring. He was barely able to choke back a growl threatening to rumble out of his throat, instead silently darting into a low lit corner of the room while the vampire was still on her knees, wrapping her arms around herself.

_She is affected too? _Rai'ken thought in disbelief.

The female had seemed to recover and, faster than Rai'ken's eyes could follow, snatched a weapon of some kind from a wall of blades. The metal of the pointed, cylindrical implement glowed a faint blue in his heat-sensing vision, with trace amounts of slightly warmer patches on it. The weapon she had used to eliminate this night's target. He choked on a breath, his muscles tensing for a fight, though unwilling to make a move in offense. Turned out that he didn't have to.

She spoke. Poorly controlled anxiety and some other emotion that Rai'ken couldn't place in his reeling mind rolled off her in waves, her softly spoken words trembling slightly. Rai'ken smothered a bark of outrage at her commanding tone. She wanted him to expose himself? Fat change at that. This thing had abilities he had only ever dreamed of; Rai'ken was devoid of any form of defense besides the armor on his body. _The one night I don't bring my weapons…C'jit! _He was no coward, but he knew when to avoid an unfair confrontation. The damn heat roiling through his body was enough to hinder his mental capacities and weaken him.

The female, still crouched with flames sizzling in one hand and strange blade poised in the other, studied the room with eyes flickering erratically. Had he unnerved her that much? Rai'ken would have chattered to himself in amusement, but the vampire would undoubtedly have heard him, and he could tell from watching her that she wasn't about to cease an attack just because he was unarmed. The female fought dirty. Dishonorably.

After what seemed like eons of listening to her ragged breathing and thundering pulse, she straightened from her crouch and purposely eased the strange weapon back onto the wall, addressing him again. It seemed she was doubting herself of his presence.

"Alright, fine. Be a damn coward." Coward? _Him_? He was a respectable Yautja warrior, a fierce hunter who roared in fear's face! This female was the one who fought from the shadows, lurking like a spineless whelp. He barely had time to finish his mental rant before she continued. "You're still here. Next time you feel like spying on me, douse the pheromones a little. They're driving me insane."

With that, she briskly backed out of the room, her fists still crackling with red and amber flames. They seemed to flare with her uneven intakes of breath, Rai'ken noted. He didn't move from his position until he was certain the female had completely exited her living quarters.

So, his scent really did have an affect on the little female. A strong one, too. He made a mental note to keep track of this tidbit. Humans certainly weren't capable of catching a Yautja's bodily odor. This female, this vampire, must have had a keener sense of smell.

With this thought in mind, he turned his attention to the expansive wall of weaponry. It was a great offense to peruse a warrior's personal weapons without permission, but Rai'ken had to make some exceptions if he was ever going to learn from this creature. Clicking to himself, he reached a clawed hand out to run a talon along the edge of a particularly wicked looking dagger about the length of his forearm. That would certainly cause some damage…

Next, he turned to a small selection of throwing stars similar to his own. Smaller, but equally lethal, he noted with a quiet hiss as a ginger stroke of the edge made a clean slice on his forefinger. _Am I _completely _senseless tonight? _Rai'ken growled to himself as drops of neon green liquid dribbled and pooled onto his scaled palm, careful to keep it from dripping on the floor -evidence of his presence.

Scandalously, he wondered what his blood would taste like to the nighttime creature. If its bite would induce the same pleasurable reaction in his body as a human's. An angry shake of his head sent his waist length, cord-like hair jiggling and his flagrant thoughts through a mental window. Thinking such things of an animal, of all things, was just wrong.

Rai'ken took another quick cursory glance at the rest of the vampire's numerous armaments. He perceived that she worked with a wide range of blade sizes, something that took awhile to master. Each blade's size and attributes was unique in itself, and it took some time to learn the proper techniques for each one. Some swords were large enough that he had to question the female's ability to handle them. She seemed too slight to handle this…oh, what did the humans call it? A claymore? Yes, it was something like that.

Something akin to admiration lit up inside him when he noticed that the female owned no guns, a cowardly weapon in his mind. She was a purely short-range fighter, and that showed that she had courage. Or that she was stupid. He preferred to think of his specimen as having exceptional intelligence, but one could never know. He still had a lot to learn about this one.

He delved further into the vampire's room.

*

**A/N: So…any better? I know I only have one review (THANK YOU Demonic Chaos! =D) but I couldn't really expect much feedback until I brought in the starring Predator. Now that I have, I'd really, **_**really**_** appreciate some more opinions!**


	3. Chapter 3

I hate not being able to reply to anonymous reviews, soooo…

Demonic-Chaos_: Thanks! I'm kinda just going with the assumption that every culture has their own myths and whatnot to go with it. Glad you like this, 'cuz I know a lot of people don't, haha. XD_

Cyrosian_: Glad that my characters up to par; personally, I thought they were a little blah, but I'm working on 'em. And I don't know if Aja will be saving him anytime in the near future…I hadn't planned it, but…*sniff sniff* Hmm, I smell a plot twist. ;)_

**Disclaimer: Seriously, if I owned the Predator franchise, things would be bad. Apocalyptic-type bad. You can all rest safely with the knowledge that I have no influence on it whatsoever.**

*

"Just a Miller tonight, hun," Nelson said. Aja cocked a brow at him with a teasing smirk as she snapped the cap off the bottle and handed it to him.

"Only one? Are you wussing out on me already?"

"Nah. The wife's got me on a beer budget: two per week," he sighed, eyes downcast.

"Ouch," Aja winced. Then she held up a bottle of Apple Pie enticingly. "She say anything about shots?"

Nelson gave her a crinkly-eyed smile, dull blue eyes lighting up ever so slightly. "Nope, but I'm not gonna push it. That couch is killing me," he laughed, only half joking.

Aja smiled sympathetically. "Alright," she assented and went back to scrubbing down the bar while Nelson silently sipped at his beer.

The lapse in conversation was undesired for Aja. The last vestiges of alcohol in her system had dissipated, leaving her in total mental clarity. And she knew that what she had experienced just a few hours earlier was no drunken hallucination. Something really was following her. She didn't know what she was going to do; if she couldn't see it, she couldn't fight it, regardless of how strong the thing's smell was. You can't hit an odor.

Worry must have been obvious in her eyes, because Nelson suddenly asked, "You alright there, sweetie? You seem kinda jumpy."

Aja smiled weakly and shook her head. "It's nothing. Guess I'm just a little tired." Nelson's aged stare never wavered. Aja sighed and leaned her elbows on the bar, chin cradled in her cupped hands. "I don't know what it is. Honestly," she relented.

Nelson continued to stare at her but made no move to question her, returning to his drink in thoughtful silence. Aja quirked a quick smile at the middle aged man and returned to the other bar patrons.

Both Serafina and Anita had called in sick, which meant that Aja was stuck by herself attending to dozens of half-drunk humans. Life was just dandy.

At least the bar was completely packed; mixing drinks provided an excellent distraction from paranoia. Juke box throbbing with the lively beat of Cowboy Casanova, some women in the crowd really getting into the dance, others hooting at them and cat calling; the dart league playing in the corner with the board's obnoxious comments at their poor scores; it was enough to take anyone's mind from the most solemn of subjects.

Too bad closing time was in less than an hour.

Aja's heart skittered frantically in her chest at the thought. Breathing deeply, she centered herself, calming her nervous energy and opening her mind to practical options. She could always bunk with someone else for the night and return in the morning; everything seemed less intimidating in daylight. But she was a full blooded vampire now. Sunlight would greatly weaken her and leave her more vulnerable than if she were to return tonight. Besides, she was a Master. Masters don't back down from challenges; they embrace them. And, aside from Sol, no one was stupid enough to initiate a fight with a Master. Even the Ancients kept a respectable distance from them for the most part.

Something inside her said that her status would be irrelevant in this case.

She didn't know what that smell was, but it whatever carried it, it wasn't normal. Certainly not something she had ever encountered before. It was terrifying but, on a baser level, exciting. New challenges were always welcome to one who had been living in monotony. Granted, her life was more hectic now than ever with Sol giving her new assignments every damn week.

_One of these days… _Aja swore.

"Yo, you want some help back there?" A heavily accented voice broke her thoughts. Aja smirked as a short woman forcefully shoved her way through the crowd, occasionally barking out curses in Spanish when they didn't move fast enough. Aja couldn't help laughing out loud when a particularly bold young man reached out to grab Serafina's butt, causing her to yelp and whip around, planting a harsh slap to his face and shouting every obscenity known to man. Serafina turned on her heel, her long ponytail slashing at the startled man's face. Aja had to clutch the counter to keep from falling to the floor, she was laughing so hard. The small brown woman stalked to the bar and halted in front of Aja, her hands on the swell of her hips and an aggravated frown scrunching her black eyes.

"You want my help or what? I'm supposed to be shopping right now, but I figured I'd lessen the weight on my conscience and come to your rescue." Before Aja could say anything, Serafina quickly twisted around to face the crowd. "Damn," she exclaimed, "this place is packed. Did you promise to flash them?" Aja growled playfully and snapped the dirty rag at the Spaniard's face. The little woman jerked away, shrieking in disgust.

"It would have been nice a few hours ago," Aja chided. Serafina shifted her weight sheepishly. "Closing's in twenty minutes, so you can help me clean up."

"Fair enough."

For the next ten minutes, the two women poured drinks and chatted airily with the patrons, Serafina's constant string of verbal jabs ensuring the entertainment of the customers.

Ten minutes to closing time, Serafina hopped over the bar with a megaphone in hand and swam through the crowd, wrestling her way to the juke box. She forcefully yanked the cord out of the wall. Turning to face the bewildered crowd, she shouted through the mega, "Alright, people, fun's over! Y'all need to shove off!"

The mass of people grumbled, but most snickered good naturedly at Sera's predictable bouts of audacious behavior. A few finished off their drinks and left right away. Stragglers littered the corners of the now spacious room, but they soon left under Sera's promises of bodily harm.

"Now," she said sharply once they were alone, "tell me what's been on that moldy mind of yours." Black eyes probed Aja's veiled ones. Apparently not masked well enough, then.

_Am I really that obvious? _

Aja mentally huffed at Sera's brash nature, shrugging outwardly. "Nothing. Just thinking."

Sera gave her a dry stare. "Yeah. And I'm as pale as a damn snowflake," the robust woman grumbled and went to clean the tables.

Aja sighed in a confusing mixture of relief and longing. The good thing about her acquaintances-only lifestyle was that no one she met really cared about her well-being very much. Not that the people were inconsiderate or selfish. They just didn't know her enough to care one way or the other. It wouldn't hurt to just have someone to talk to every now and then, though.

After a swift cleanup and a brief farewell, Serafina flounced out of the bar. Leaving Aja alone.

Normally she would have welcomed the solitude with open arms. Vampires were naturally reclusive, and Aja was no exception. But tonight she would have given anything for a shoulder to lean on. An extra body to brace herself against in the midst of a crisis. Sadly, Sol was the closest thing she'd had to a partner in centuries, and their union was by his force, for his benefit.

Aja had no one.

She shook herself from the sullen thoughts and sighed in dejection. Shoving herself off the counter, she reluctantly shuffled to the staircase. Now or never.

*

Rai'ken was positively thrilled. Not only had he successfully tracked his specimen to its abode, but he had also disclosed many of the stories' theories on how a blood drinker lived. He discovered that vampires do, in fact, need sustenance outside of blood, or at least kept it around. The refrigerator, as the humans called it, carried a number of food items. Several bottles with iridescent red liquid were also found; his stomach had roiled in revolt at the sight, and he hastily moved away from the appliance.

The tales he had read that mentioned a common garden herb that supposedly warded off the creature proved to be false as well; he had found the pungent substance in a container on the table in the eating area.

One of the stranger presumptions had been something about mirrors, but he couldn't remember what it was. Nonetheless, he had found plenty of the reflective surfaces in the vampire's home, so it must have been false too. He halfheartedly chastised himself for making assumptions in the wake of a creature so lethal. But he was much too preoccupied in his search to really take heed.

The most predominant ideas was that vampires were soulless, that any contact with a religious symbol, namely a cross, would cause them physical harm. This was cited a number of times in his sources, but he hadn't quite comprehended the meaning. How could one be soulless? How does one define being without a soul? What was a soul in the first place, really? Either way, he hadn't found one of the symbolic little trinkets. He placed a mental _check later _on that particular area of interest.

He had also learned about this female specifically, though it hadn't been his original intent.

Apparently, she shared Rai'ken's love of knowledge. In what he assumed was the main living area rested tons of books. It seemed the female's goal was to cover every inch of wall in reading material or some other form of art. Paintings littered the walls as well, though he couldn't make out the true colors with his mask on. And that wasn't coming off anytime soon with the vampire's scent already distorting his senses. He involuntarily shuddered at the thought.

Focusing on the books, he searched the titles, wondering if the vampire would have anything of reference to her kind in her own personal library. Not likely, considering she had herself for her own reference, but it was worth a try. The female was very organized, he vaguely noted. Science in one area, philosophy in another, poetry here, fiction there…This creature certainly had a lot of time on its hands.

He easily sniffed out the small collection of mythology and poured over it at a rapid pace, skimming for any mention of the blood drinker, finally putting to use his knowledge of the humans' language. Rai'ken grunted in frustration when he came across a few tomes in different dialects. Could the vampire even read these? _Check later. _He flipped through another large stack.

Nothing at all.

On to science, then…

She certainly seemed to favor the subject; it took him an ample amount of time just to glance at all the titles. Nothing of relevance. He clicked his mandibles in frustration.

At a loss, Rai'ken turned to the fiction area, though if there was anything there, he probably would have read it already, courtesy of the material inherited from the patriarch of his line. Of course, as luck would have it, there was nothing remotely useful. He did find something amusing, at least; the female must have been of the lonely variation because smut stories seemed to appear most frequently on the shelves. Trilling to himself in mirth, he went to the next section.

Several hours were spent in this fashion, him toiling through article after article. Still, he found nothing of importance. There had been a whole section of personal journals, though. That would have been perfect; information directly from the source. He would have eagerly snatched them up too, but it just didn't feel right to look into the inner workings of someone's mind.

His head suddenly jerked up, dreadlocks rustling against the metal of his armor. Were those footsteps?

_Oh, c'jit…_

*

**A/N: I know that this is going horribly slow, but bear with me here. I'll get to the action stuff in a bit; I just have to build it up to that point. Meanwhile, you can let me know how much you LOVE this story (haha) by reviewing! =D Even if you don't like it, let me know! I'm not a vegetarian; I can take some BEEF. XD**

**Oh, I've been doing some snooping in the Aliens/Predator archives, and I was crestfallen to realize that "Aja" isn't the product of my mind only. So -even though I didn't know it and she'll probably never read this- credit goes to Yeyinde for the name. I didn't mean to steal it, honestly. =(**


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Don't own the Yautja. Everything else is mine.

*

Aja winced at the creaking of the stairs. So much for a silent approach. Grimacing as if pained, she continued treading upstairs, her heart skittering in tightly reined panic and fear.

God, why was she acting like such a pansy? She was never like this, not even when facing the Council, and those people were the living -er, _un_-living- embodiments of terror!

In an uncharacteristic flash of impulsive energy, she sprinted up the rest of the steps, a blur of motion to any would-be witness.

The door was right there. The faintest trace of the luscious smell clung to the air, stirring Aja's insides.

_Alright, time for the moment of truth…_

She resisted the childish urge to scrunch her eyes shut and quickly flung the door open. Screw tact. It was _her_ house.

Nothing abnormal immediately came to view. She hadn't expected it to. Patiently, she stood in the doorway, slowly tracing her gaze over every visible surface of the room, face calm, eyes tight and anxious.

The smell was just as strong as it had been before. It was still here. It had to be.

Aja slowly, deliberately, placed her right foot in front of the other. Stepped over the threshold.

_Good, making progress._

She slid to the side, back still to the door, and cautiously eased it shut, hearing it quietly snick in place. Knowing that she had just deliberately barred her fastest exit.

Indignation suddenly flared inside her, making her clench her fists in anger. She shouldn't have to be this paranoid when entering her own house, dammit! Wisps of flame threatened to spark from her fingertips, but she reined in the instinctive urge to destroy.

Breathing deeply and doing her best to ignore the smell, she closed her eyes and imagined a candle in her mind, flickering serenely. Imagined it waning and waxing with her even breaths, the warming glow soothing her. Her muscles began to relax ever-so slightly. She opened her eyes.

Now a small bit calmer, Aja swallowed a clog of saliva. She really, _really_ hoped she was insane at this point. Older vampires sometimes did lose their lucidity. Maybe she'd spent too much time alone and her brain was finally rejecting her body. Maybe. Hopefully.

"I know you're still here," she started carefully, speaking slowly, yet in a voice of steel. "Please…show yourself." Worry and fear warred inside her, adding a horrible squirming sensation to her already fluttering insides. Not caring if she still had her calm guise, she made no effort to disguise her anxiety. Her arousal from the smell was squelched; she was focusing too hard on not trembling to think of anything else.

All was silent.

Hysterical giggles bubbled up from the back of her throat, coming out as an embarrassing squeak.

_Insanity is thy name…_

*

Rai'ken was frozen stock still, thoughts accelerating at a disorientating pace. Should he expose himself? Should he take that risk?

No. Definitely not.

At least, not right now.

He'd go back to his ship and gear up a bit before he even considered facing this thing. Then if it attacked he would at least have a chance at surviving the encounter.

He couldn't shake the feeling that he had disappointed the female, though. A quick scan of her internal workings showed a rapidly beating heart and shaking muscles. Rai'ken scowled in confusion, but then it dawned on him. The creature he had thought to be the badass of badasses was scared. Of _him_.

_Interesting… _

Maybe this creature wasn't as unflappable as Rai'ken had originally deemed it. It certainly wasn't as intelligent as he had thought; it had blocked its fastest escape route. Maybe this female wasn't really that dangerous.

In a bizarre moment of thoughtless brashness, he disengaged his cloaking device.

*

Blue lightning crackled, seeming to materialize out of thin air. Where once there was a vague form of bent light now stood…well, something else. Not human, that's for sure. To her greatest horror and mortification, the first thing she noticed was how tall and well built the being was; the being had to be over eight feet tall, at least, dwarfing her mere five and a half feet. The purely feminine fragment of her mind purred in appreciation for the broad shoulders, massive chest, and chiseled eight pack.

The rest of her body hummed with numb fear. Because what stood before her was beyond her wildest musings. Beyond her untamed wonders.

Mottled, reptilian skin covered its muscled form, colored an intriguing shade of dull ebony, like volcanic ash. Lighter colored streaks of silver skimmed around the outsides of its arms and legs, curving inward. Black, cord-like appendages adorned with bands of silver and gold metals sprouted from the head. A dull gray metal mask covered its face, menacing black lenses covering his eyes. It seemed to be its only form of cover besides what could only be called a loincloth covering its nether regions.

Aja pointedly ignored that part of his anatomy, a prudish blush rising in her cheeks. The creature's scent must have been getting the best of her. Maybe it was the creature's hunting strategy; seduce its prey with a mouth watering scent and kill it while it was distracted. Anything was possible, she supposed.

After her quick appraisal, her eyes returned to the black lenses of the mask, searching furtively for any sign of aggression. Dammit, if she could only see the creature's eyes, read its intentions. Everything would be so much easier then.

A deep rattling echoed through the silent room, and it took Aja a few moments to realize it was coming from her visitor. Was it saying something? This was so damn frustrating! Aja clenched her jaw together so tightly she was in danger of cracking a fang.

_Oh, jeez, then we'd _really_ have a problem._

Unconsciously, she ran her tongue over the sharp, sensitive points, stimulating them. For what, she wasn't entirely sure. It just felt like a good idea.

Aja swallowed again, parting then closing her lips. Should she say something? It obviously understood her. Gingerly biting her lower lip, she said coolly, "There, was that so hard?"

The foreign creature cocked its head slightly, the dreadlock-like hair following the movement. The rattling continued, albeit softer, as if it was thinking to itself. Or speaking. Seriously, if this was its way of talking, she was screwed. She blanched.

_Word choice! Bad word choice!_

Aja let out a pitiful groan and raised her right hand to her face in mortification. Was she seriously this desperate, or were the chemicals in this thing's odor really that potent? Either way, she couldn't deny that it sparked desire in her, however unwanted it was.

*

Rai'ken was confused beyond belief. He had expected it to attack or, at the very least, panic and flee. But the female just stood there, studying his form. Her body visibly tensed, her heart rate spiking. The feminine musk seeped from her in waves, stimulating his senses, his skin prickling as tiny shivers wracked his frame. The tantalizing scent made his head swim, shutting off mental functioning. His chest swelled with unadulterated male satisfaction when he realized that the female wasn't trembling in fear; she was trembling in _desire_. He purred to her, testing her resolve on a practice he saved for mating.

Really, he should have been disgusted with himself for even enjoying the idea that she reacted to him. But it was so hard to care…and when he caught a glimpse of those fangs, remembered the moans of ecstasy that they had brought forth in others, he had been about to step forward and grab her, take her, do something, because the lack of physical contact, while usually unsought by his kind, was killing him.

Before he could take that first step, the female spoke, halting him in his tracks. Was she…was she _mocking_ him? His specimen, his vampire, was teasing him? That was peculiar. But not altogether a bad thing. If she was teasing him, it meant she probably wasn't about to lunge for him.

Then again…being pounced on by this delectable creature didn't sound so bad after all.

The heat grew higher up his body, reaching a delicious crescendo as waves of lust surged through his body. _Dear __**Paya**__…_Rai'ken's eyes rolled heavenward in rapture. Purring lustily, he approached the female.

*

**A/N: So, I was up at about one in the morning and thought to myself, "Gee, this would be a good time to update Once Bitten." Note to self: while I may be at my most creative mindset in the hours of darkness, I am NOT at my most coherent and am unable to be see reason. Therefore, I'll probably be deleting this chapter in the near future; like, in the morning when I go back and say, "Oh God, I wrote that?" **

**Don't really know where this'll be going. I did rate this as M but…hmm, well, what do you guys think? Lemme know what you want to see, and I'll do my best to make it happen. ^_^**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own Predator. *sigh***

*

Simply put, Aja was freaking out. The creature's smell took control of her entire body, but her mind was only half gone. One half gave a tumultuous scream of outrage. What was she thinking? Did she have no shame?

Then of course, there was the other half that was throttling the pesky voice of logic for trying to deny her of what she wanted.

Aja's frenzied thoughts screeched to a halt. The creature was coming closer. Muscles in her arms tensed for a wicked punch if necessary, her legs positioned for a hasty getaway. She didn't think she was capable of much else. The male appeared to acknowledge her tension; he paused and cocked his head again, then continued to march forward with purpose.

Heart throbbing in her ears, muscles locked in place from a debilitating mix of sheer want and terror, her body and mind warred with each other. And her body was winning.

But for all she knew, this creature was using the potent scent to immobilize her before attacking, which seemed to be exactly what was on his mind. Rational fear was squashed as their proximity was reduced to nothing.

Stopping mere inches from her softly panting form, towering over her, it carefully raised a clawed hand to her neck, the tips of its talons grazing her supersensitive flesh. Aja gasped. The tiniest of contact sent sparks of pleasure sizzling along her skin and down her spine, pooling into her lower belly. She tried to bite back the throaty noise threatening to escape her throat, but a pitiful whimper managed to slip out. The creature's touch provoked a near audible snap in her mind as her brain flicked off; instinct, however blind, would carry her through this now.

As if with life of their own, her hands raised, her left splayed out on the creature's firm torso, gently kneading the smooth, amphibian-like skin, earning her a deeper purr. His hand trailed from her neck to the exposed flesh of her stomach, warmth blooming from the touch of the rough skin of his palm. He stroked the tender flesh and scraped his claws along the waistband of her jeans, teasing her.

She traced her fingertips of her right hand on the protrusion of the area where his mouth would be, the metal shockingly cool beneath her touch.

"Take this off," she whispered hoarsely, in a dark voice she hardly recognized as her own. "Please," she added as an afterthought. The male seemed to respond better to begging than commanding. And right now, she was just too damn heated to care what she sounded like.

The male paused again, the visor of his mask hiding any emotions she could have read. Then, after what appeared to be deep thinking, he shook his head and continued caressing Aja's flesh.

Pouting like an impish child, she stopped her own ministrations to his chest to show her displeasure. "Why not?" she asked, slightly hurt even in her ardor. The male just shook his head again, tresses sent jiggling in every direction. Aja frowned up at him, but he wasn't deterred. Purring louder, he grasped the backs of her thighs and scooped her up to his chest, his talons shifting up, digging into her lower back. Against her better judgment, Aja hastily wrapped her legs around his trim middle, adjusting herself to make the position a bit more comfortable. She couldn't remember a time she had been handled like this.

At an almost total loss at what to do, she draped her arms around his thick neck. She looked up into his shielded eyes. This wasn't her first time at participating in these sort of acts, but she certainly felt inexperienced in this male's arms. Not good.

Luckily, though, he seemed to know exactly what needed to be done. Trailing the tips of his talons up her hip, he pushed her back against the door, providing perfect leverage. Aja realized with a blush that this new position pressed their bodies together like puzzle pieces. She could feel every part of him now. _Every_ part of him.

_Oh, dear gods above…_

"Tell me your name," she pleaded as he hurriedly peeled her shirt away, exposing a thin, black tank top underneath. "_Please_, just tell me your name."

Not giving him much time to reply, she buried her face into his throat, kissing and nibbling at the oddly smooth surface; he tasted exactly how he smelled, and it drove her crazy with want. His shudders intermixed with appreciative purrs prompted her to continue.

As if with great effort, his low, gravelly voice slowly ground out, "Ryye…Kenn."

Aja paused in her treatment to his neck, lips barely grazing his skin. Rai'ken could feel her lips turn in a smile against his flesh as her breath ghosted over him. "Rai'ken…" she breathed, tasting the new, odd name on her tongue and deciding that she liked it. She chuckled throatily against his skin. "I'm Aja."

His constant rumbling purrs reverberated through her, hitching in strength depending on what she did on the targeted area. Smirking, she gently bit at the pliant flesh beneath her mouth, careful with the placement of her fangs so she wouldn't penetrate the strange, supple skin.

Rai'ken jumped ever so slightly from the new sensation. Up until then, he hadn't really been thinking of her as a vampire, but her actions proved that she was still a danger to him. Though by now he was drowning in too much sensation to care, his ragged panting thundering in sync with his heart. He wished he could remove his mask and return the gestures, but he remembered the first time he had seen a human's face: he'd been disgusted at its plain angles and floppy, unadorned mouth (which he was learning to appreciate); he didn't want this to stop because of something as trivial as aesthetics.

The little female seemed intent on his neck and throat region, sometimes straying to his collar bones and shoulders, though he wasn't complaining. Her soft, hungry ministrations on the sensitive areas felt incredible. And the alternating intervals of biting and licking and sucking…Paya, it was enough to make him faint from the mind blowing sensations.

Her clothing needed to go. Now. His fevered brain couldn't think anything else.

He was reaching for Aja's upper covering, the female leaning back slightly to make it easier to remove, when a raucous series of knocks came from beyond the door. His female's strange colored eyes widened in panic, flying up to meet his covered gaze. Irises once clouded in need cleared and filled with alarm. With speed Rai'ken had forgotten the female possessed, she slid her trembling limbs away from his body, slipping from his grasp like mercury. Rai'ken growled indignantly and reached for her. Aja quickly grasped his wrist in an iron hold, placing a finger to her lips, signaling for silence. Rai'ken scrunched his brow and clicked angrily at being pushed away _now_, of all times. Surely a visitor wasn't so important to attend to right now?

"Just do that…that invisible thingy again," Aja stammered awkwardly, releasing her hold on him. Her skin was still flushed, her body aching, feeling hollow. "I'll get rid of them."

Rai'ken stared her down, then nodded curtly, tapping at a device on his forearm and seemed to melt into the air.

Doing a hasty fix up of her hair and remaining clothes, Aja peeked through the peephole. _If that's you, Sol, God help you._

She was quite surprised and a little peeved when she spied Anita and Serafina Sanchez waiting impatiently outside. Serafina, her hands on her hips, called out, "You gonna let us in, chica, or do I gotta break down the damn door?" Anita prodded her twin in the ribs, shushing her.

"She's probably asleep, moron!" she whispered fiercely.

Serafina rolled her eyes. "Like hell she is. Jess, I'm not asking again."

Aja was shaking in indecision, searching frantically between the door and Rai'ken. Or where she thought he was. The scent was still strong; he hadn't gone anywhere.

"Jessie!"

Aja growled to herself, both at the interruption and at her poorly chosen alias, scraping her fingers through her now-loose hair. Turning in Rai'ken's general direction, she said sullenly, eyes downcast, "You should probably go."

Rai'ken would have flinched in rejection had he not seen how crestfallen his female was. At least she was doing it more out of necessity than the true desire to get rid of him. He purred softly in her direction, reaching out to stroke her cheek. Then, contracting his throat muscles painfully, he ground out, "See…you…laaator."

_Definitely need to bring the translator next time…_

Aja smiled at him and ran her fingers over his hand, nodding. "Later," she repeated. Rai'ken retracted from her.

"JESS!"

"Hold on a damn minute!" she barked back. She turned back to Rai'ken.

He was gone. She could no longer feel his body heat pulsing in the room, making her feel like a child who had just lost her favorite teddy bear to snuggle up to.

Sighing dejectedly, she flung the door open and faced the Sanchez twins. Serafina in her characteristic hands-on-hips pose, Anita a step or two behind her in a more timid stance. Both were decked out in clubbing clothes, as flashy as they were short, probably just returning from a night of partying. Neither seemed to be drunk, though. That was a relief.

Serafina looked Aja up and down, noting her disheveled clothing and hair, her flushed appearance. Anita smirked.

"Is this a bad time?" Sera asked smoothly with a knowing grin.

"Nope." Aja's tone was clipped, tense. The twins shared a look and snickered slightly.

"Either way," Anita finally spoke after clearing her throat. "Since neither of us showed up last night due to circumstances that shall remain unknown," she mumbled the last part with a stabbing glare at Serafina, who turned her own gaze upwards in innocence. "We were wondering if you wanted to go to Vegas with us for the weekend. As compensation, kind of."

Aja's eyes widened then covered her surprise with a yawn. "Um, well, the offer is certainly appreciated, but it's not a big deal. Really."

Sera rolled her eyes again, huffing in agitation. "What'd I tell ya, Ana?"

Anita pointedly ignored her sister and kept her focus on Aja. "Are you sure?" she asked. "We'd really like you to come."

"I'm sure," Aja insisted.

Anita frowned softly, Serafina irritably scoffing to herself. "Well, alright then," Anita relented. "You know where to find us if you change your mind."

"Good God, you sound like you're asking her out. Hate to break it to you, sis, but by the noises we just heard, I believe she's already spoken for," Sera quipped with a lecherous grin, receiving a punch to the shoulder. "Alright, alright! Jeez…"

"Guess we'll see you around then," said Anita.

"Uh huh," Aja replied offhandedly, already closing the door. "You two better be here next weekend, though, or Miriam's going to be pissed," she added as they clambered downstairs.

"Yep!" the twins chorused.

Aja shut the door with a frustrated growl. Interrupted for _that_? Fate really seemed to have it out for her.

Rai'ken's scent was less potent now, but it still lingered. Tiny embers of heat brushed teasingly over her frazzled nerve endings.

Now that he was gone, though, logic seeped into her brain. She had been about to do the nasty with something inhuman--okay, in that case, she was being a bit of a hypocrite, but that was besides the point. The only thing that had stopped them was the twins' interruption, which scared the hell out of her. And he had promised to return. Aja shuddered in mixed fear and excitement. What was the hell was she going to do?

She moodily rolled her eyes at herself. Brooding wasn't her thing; she'd deal with the problem when it reemerged. Right now, she was exhausted from the physical ups and downs her body had been through all night. Dawn was coming, her skin was prickling with the sun's reappearance. Bedtime.

*****

**A/N: Hmm. I don't quite like how this turned out. *shrugs* Whatever, it's necessary for further development. **

**Please review! :D**


	6. Chapter 6

**A huge MUCHAS GRACIAS to everyone who has reviewed, faved, etc. It makes me feel all fuzzy inside! ^_^ **

…'**Course, that could just be that bad cheese I ate yesterday, but we'll go with the more pleasant option.**

**Alright, I'm done blathering. For now.**

**EDIT: I left out some stuff earlier (feel free to throw things at me) so I had to go and redo this.**

**Disclaimer: Me no own-y, you no sue-y, then we all be happy…-y? Hmm, it sounded so good in my head…**

Sol paced the well-worn carpet of the hotel room, his mind filled with frantic thoughts.

He couldn't deny it any longer: something was after him. Or, more specifically, the spitfire vamp he had foolishly bound to himself.

_Idiot! _Why had he ever believed he could control the little demon? Even under the constant threat of exposure to the Council, of having her fangs ground down and capped in silver, starving her, she remained defiant, rebelling against him with half-brained plots. She had only been bound for little more than a month. Sol didn't think he could tolerate it for much longer. He should have just stuck to her father's plans and handed her over weeks ago, even if it meant being torn apart by the lead Council members for the mutinous act.

He couldn't just hand her to Antigone, though. Not after all the effort and money he had put into capturing her. The three trained spawn he had acquired from an underground dealer just for the occasion were terribly expensive, and even the trained ones didn't obey him 100 percent of the time. They also had to be fed constantly if he didn't want them to snack on him. More of the Council's cash down the drain, and if Mateo or Taro knew that Sol had used their funds for illegally buying _spawn_, of all things, they would throw Sol to the things for breakfast and then dispose of them too. Rid themselves of a criminal and three vicious mutants in one shot. Two birds, one stone.

Sol's only consolation was that half-breed spawn were nearly impossible for vampires to detect and were hardier than their frail figures suggested. The ambush had worked so perfectly that, at the time, he had thought Aja must have been playing him. After the spawn were done with her, forcing his blood into her had been child's play. Normally, Sol wouldn't dare to do something as dangerous as giving Aja his blood. In most circumstances, doing so would give her total control of his body and mind, but Mateo had taught Sol a technique that reversed the effect--consuming spawn blood. Sol still shuddered at the memory. Spawn, the genetic screw-up that was the offspring of a half-breed and a vampire, had the nastiest tasting blood Sol had ever had the misfortune to drink. The rats he had had to live off of as a fledgling had been more appetizing. Even though the disturbing practice had worked (though he had no idea how), he was beginning to think that it wasn't worth the trouble.

He had to remind himself that, even with her constant disobedience, Aja was doing a better job than he ever could.

Miss Ryve, while seriously compromising his fragile hold on sanity, was quite formidable when she actually obeyed him. Her style was efficient, clean. A killer of true skill--something he wasn't. Best of all, no one in the bedlam of the vampire community pointed their finger at Aja--the once great leader and diplomat of the vampire race--for the murder of five Masters. The ruse that Mateo and Taro, the _true_ leaders of the Council, were holding up had allowed them to avoid all suspicion as well, which in turn kept Sol in the clear. Better to be the devil's right hand man than his enemy in this case.

Yes, he definitely would have more trouble complying with his superiors' demands if he didn't have Aja.

And now something was endangering his assistant.

Worst of all was that he hadn't the faintest clue of what it was. He'd only gotten a decent look of it once. He didn't feel like repeating the encounter, either. The thing was huge! It had to be over eight feet tall and was jam-packed with muscles; the thing looked like it could bench press Holsteins. And the blades it carried could probably stab through a person like a damn shish kabob.

Vamp kabob. Nice.

He wasn't even sure what the creature was after, but it was indubitably looking for something. It wouldn't stick around if it wasn't. Something like that couldn't be native to the area…right?

Maybe he should have paid more attention in ecology…

Groaning in frustration, Sol snatched the archaic corded phone off the receiver and angrily punched in a series of digits.

His mind sputtered. What time was it in Italy? Waking an Ancient was a bad idea, very bad.

After a few desperate moments of mental floundering, Sol mentally kicked himself for his ridiculous trepidation. Ancients always had time for one of their scouts. This whole damned situation just had him on edge. A very tall edge.

He'd never been good with heights.

At the first ring, there was an answer.

"Speak," a crisp tone commanded.

"Get Antigone." The voice let out an audible _humph _of agitation. Dull dial tone sounded in Sol's ear, and he half feared the easily-irritated secretary had hung up on him. He squashed the notion before it could fester into greater paranoia.

Time drizzled by, thick and syrupy. By the time a second voice addressed him, he had restarted his anxious pacing.

"Esta does not appreciate being ordered around by a scout," Antigone's distinctive low tone drawled. Sol briefly entertained the mental image of bludgeoning Taro with a boulder; what the hell did Sol ever do to deserve to be passed over to Antigone? Nothing that horrible, surely. Then again, his however-many-greats grandfather had always been somewhat of a sadist. And being passed over to the Second in Council didn't mean Sol was obligated to be loyal to him.

Grunting to shake away his thoughts, Sol said, "She'll get over it. I need to ask you something."

"As you always seem to. Any news on my daughter?"

_Which one? _Sol thought snidely.

"No new information has been made apparent of Miss Ryve. As far as my search has gone, the rumors of her death are true."

There was a silence at the end of the line, though Sol knew the Second in Council hadn't hung up. He absentmindedly twirled the phone cord while the Ancient pondered, finally saying, "Very well, then. I insist you continue the search."

Sol rolled his eyes. Obdurate old gas bag. "Of course, Elder. I realize you must be very busy, but-"

Antigone interrupted in that perpetually caustic drone of his. "If you are truly in dire need of information, express it now. As it happens, I _was_ very busy _sleeping_."

Exhaustedly scrubbing his hand down his face, Sol forced his tone to remain calm. "I believe I am being followed." He waited with a pained grimace for Antigone's next biting comment.

"And?"

"And I don't believe it is human," he resumed, feeling like an idiot.

Antigone chuckled dryly. "One would hope yours skills have not dwindled to such an extent that a human would detect you." Sol held in a huff of exasperation, his grip on the phone tightening and threatening to shatter the appliance.

"Forgive me, Elder," he said tightly. "Let me rephrase that. I do not believe it is a being of this planet."

He was walking on eggshells now. Hopefully Antigone would not believe him to be a head case. The Ancient's pause made him shift his weight in unease.

"That certainly changes things. Can you describe this being?" No mockery. No cutting remark.

Sol's brain flat-lined for a brief instant.

Surprised at the Elder's lack of mockery, he went on, "Tall, muscular. Looks like a goddamned giant lizard, but walks like a man. It has weapons, too."

Another pause. Sol's heart beat in tandem with the alarm clock's flashing digits. _Twenty-seven, twenty-eight, twenty-_

"That certainly is interesting," Antigone said slowly, contemplating. "And what type of weaponry did you say the being carried?"

_The sharp and pointy kind_, Sol mentally snarled. Clearing his throat nonchalantly, he said, "Various hand-held items. Shuriken of some kind. There was a spear, too, if my memory serves me correctly. Anything you've ever seen?"

Tick…tock.

_Speak, geezer!_

"As it happens," Antigone at last relented. "And if _my_ memory serves me correctly, it would not be wise of you to approach it. They are quite clever. Rather violent." Sol silently scoffed at the Elder's almost admiring tone.

His feathers thoroughly ruffled, he snapped impatiently, "Yes, yes, but what _is_ it?" Sol's breath caught in his throat at his verbal blunder, ice slipping greasily up his spine.

"You are a fool to address me in such a way," the Ancient spoke with quiet menace. Old and powerful as he was, he had no need to raise his voice to sound intimidating. "I will not tolerate it."

Eyes now widened in fear, Sol stammered out, "Forgive me, sir. I…" He stumbled on his words, hastily plucking an excuse out of his brain. "I have been restless these past few days, and my nerves are stretched too tight. I apologize for speaking out of turn."

Antigone let out a muted murmur of acquiescence_._ "You are lucky your compliance to obey is so rare." _Or_ _I would have disposed of you much earlier_, Sol finished bitterly. A threat from an Elder. Could his day get any better? "The creature you are referring to is a Yautja," Antigone continued as if Sol hadn't just acted in impudence, "and, yes, you are correct in assuming it is of otherworldly origins."

"Then how would you know of it?" Sol asked, confused. Antigone huffed through his nose, and Sol could tell a smirk had adorned his features.

"They have a rather long history of visitations on our planet. I was a young human when I first encountered them, in fact."

_That_ _long_? Sol thought incredulously but remained silent. "They were revered as gods in those days," the Ancient went on. "And with good reason. They taught humans nearly everything they know; how to hunt, how to build. In reality, the human race would not have evolved without the Yautjas' interference."

"If they are benevolent and patient enough to teach humans, I see no reason to fear them."

"The Yautja race is highly advanced in comparison to the beings of Earth, in every sense of the word. Their strength and speed is comparable to vampires', their intelligence and technology is…inconceivably remarkable." Admiration quite plainly shone in his rendition of the aliens. Sol didn't know if he should be terrified or excited. Anything that caught one of the Ancient's attention was more than worthy of recognition. "But they are also quite volatile, and, as far as I have learned, they kill for little more than sport and bragging rights. Combined with the superior technology and physicality, they make quite the formidable opponent. I don't recommend seeking it out."

Sol absorbed all this, pondering to himself. One of those things was after Aja?

Clearing his throat at the sudden silence, he said, "Understood, Elder. I am sorry once again for speaking against you, and I wish I had contacted you with a more important inquiry." He glanced through the shades on the window, wincing. "I am also sorry for ending this so abruptly. Dawn is approaching."

"Of course, Scout. I shall let you be on your way then."

"Thank you, Elder." He clicked off the connection and slammed the phone back onto its cradle.

"Fan-fucking-tastic."

**In which Sol desperately needs a chill pill and Antigone needs that stick surgically removed from his ass. Lovely mental image, no? **

**The three things Rai'ken saw attacking Aja earlier were the spawn. I don't know if I made that obvious enough, so if you were confused before, hopefully that cleared it up.**

**Review if you want; with the blah-ness of this chapter, I won't be expecting much, so…**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: Don't own a thing.**

* * *

Sleeping while in a sexually frustrated state proved to be harder than imagined for Aja. Even the added exhaustion from overusing three of the elements in one evening wasn't enough to make her pass out.

Rai'ken's arousing concoction of pheromones plucked at the strands of her conscience, and it was impossible for her to think of anything besides how their little rendezvous might have concluded if the Sanchezes hadn't intruded. It scared the hell out of her, the thought that she had been prepared to copulate with a random…_creature, _like that. It also encouraged a strange bout of excitement. Not so much because Rai'ken had initiated physical contact--as with most of her kind, she valued her ability to hold control in any situation, so advances that she hadn't compelled someone to make were generally frowned upon--but more the fact that she now had unknown territory to traverse, something new to drag her focus away from Sol, the spawn, the Council, and the "normal" junk she had to subject herself to so she wouldn't be ousted out of the human community as a vicious, bloodsucking demon from Hell.

_Psh. Shows how much they know; compared to others, I'm a freaking saint._

Aja tossed and turned in bed. Her nonsensical musings obviously refused to allow her any sleep for the moment. Restless, she threw away the covers and padded down to her study. Maybe some reading would lull her into a doze.

Entering her cozy little library, she was struck by how…_different_ it felt. She did a more thorough analysis of the room; it seemed off, though nothing appeared disturbed outright. The dark blue of the walls still appeared only a shade lighter than true black, which wouldn't change even if the lights were to be turned on. _The perfect reading shade_, she thought irrelevantly. Easy to immerse yourself in, easy to calm yourself with, a perfect copy of a midnight sky. And there were no windows, which was why she chose this room as her study in the first place. No amount of sunlight was going to drive her away from her books.

Aja physically shook off her scatter-brained thoughts. Her mind was so cluttered, she had almost forgotten why she had roused from bed. Vampires really shouldn't be out during the day; it hampered their ability to think straight.

Rai'ken must have spent a great deal of time in the room, she deduced, which was why it felt odd; his scent was stronger here and completely overpowered the musty smell of old literature, whereas it had all but vanished throughout the rest of the loft. Warmth stirred inside her, and for the first time she could actually smell her own musky essence--thick and sweet, almost sickeningly so. Was this what Rai'ken smelled? Was he even capable of discerning scents at all? His mask certainly didn't appear as though a scent could permeate it.

Aja groaned in helplessness, dragging her hands through her mussed up hair. Less than ten hours of contact with the otherworldly being and now she couldn't stop thinking about him. Even the fact that he had broken into her loft and meddled with her possessions didn't affect her as strongly as it should have. Usually, she was quite territorial, but Rai'ken's intrusion didn't bother her. As if her psyche had already accepted his presence when her conscious mind obviously rejected it.

A sudden quote popped into her mind: "There's nothing wrong with arguing with yourself, it's when you argue with yourself and _lose_ that's weird." Just a ha-ha saying that meant nothing and wasn't meant to be taken seriously, but Aja could see that it held some truth. She had never experienced such a situation that pitted parts of her conscience against each other like this had. Maybe she really was losing it.

Grumbling to herself, she ran the tips of her fingers over the spines of several different tomes, wondering what Rai'ken had been searching for in this room, if anything. Against her better reasoning, she strode over to the small collection of personal accounts she had recorded over the years. Reminiscing over darker times might help shed some light on her current situation. Memory lane often granted her with insight in a crisis.

_For some reason_, she thought wryly, _I don't think anything like that is going to assist me at this point_.

Gingerly, she thumbed through the aged pages of one of her earliest entries, careful not to damage the fragile parchment. She inhaled the book's musty scent, willing it to drive away Rai'ken's.

Aja abruptly froze. Her diaries…and Rai'ken was in here…

_Shit!_

Irrational fear and mortification swept through her with hurricane force. What if he had read them? What would he think of her then? Would he hate her? Be disgusted at her actions? The journals had been her only refuge through the years, the only place where she didn't have to put on a mask and pretend. She always wrote whatever was on her mind: dark, dirty, suicidal, manic; _whatever _she was feeling.

And he may have read them.

Brain torn in two, the logical half pointed out that Rai'ken wasn't a native to this planet (it was the only rational conclusion she could make) and probably didn't even know any of the various languages in which she had scribed. Hopefully.

_Still_, she ruminated, ever the solicitous one, _it would be best to hide them. Just in case._

With another wary survey of the library, Aja collected the armfuls of books and hefted them into her bedroom, all the while berating herself for being paranoid, and gently stuffed them under the depths of her bed frame. Unoriginal, yes, but that was the beauty of it. No one ever looked in obvious places.

A slight displacement of color caught her eye from between the pages of a more recent journal. Frowning, Aja slipped the item out of the book and held it closer for further inspection. Her lips parted in a silent gasp as she recognized the small pendant dangling from the length of aged leather. The circular obsidian rock she now cradled in her palm seemed to steal the last vestiges of daylight that seeped through the curtains over the window. Tiny bands of silver curled together in an intricate depiction of a blooming rose, for which the owner of the necklace was named for.

Aja's throat tightened slightly with the weight of holding her little sister's most prized possession. Without thinking, she brushed the stone against her lips, imagining a warmer surface and a giggling shriek in response instead of the rock's impassive coolness. She jerked the pendant away from her face when she came into contact with the small bits of silver; she had forgotten how painful the dreaded metal could be against a vampire's flesh.

Warily, as if it might bite, she lifted the cord over her head, the medallion settling low between her collar bones. She'd probably end up with silver burns on her chest to match those on the back of her neck, but that wasn't a concern of hers. Pain would keep her lucid.

Momentarily dismissing her find, Aja sat up and leaned against the wall by her dresser with a thoughtful expression puckering her brows. Really, she didn't know why she was so terrified that Rai'ken may have gone through her journals; it could have been considered a good thing if he did. Maybe delving into her personal life would make him rethink his apparent want of involvement with her.

Tightening in her temples and sudden clenching in her stomach were her only warnings of what was to come. Nausea wracked Aja, forcing her to the floor as her stomach convulsed in agony and threatened to reject her last meal of solid food. Pain seeped up her spine, bolts of electricity shocked her vertebrae. Cold sweat beaded at her hairline, her skin clammy and trembling. She gulped down a lungful of air and held her breath, waiting out the abrupt, but not entirely unexpected, assault. She knew none of the pain was actually physical, and her body was in no danger of true damage, but that didn't alleviate the torment.

"Damn bond," Aja choked out as she clutched her torso. Sol must be distressed, which she would have liked to say pleased her, but the pain she was subjected to in consequence simply wasn't worth enjoying whatever displeasure he was experiencing. Maybe she'd be lucky--maybe Sol was dying. Whether the bond would kill her along with him or simply release itself once he was gone was a mystery, but at this point she didn't care either way.

The spasms lessened to a disorientating wave after a few moments. Groaning, Aja picked herself up off the floor, swearing to every deity she'd ever heard of that Sol would know this pain ten fold once he lifted the bond. Before that, she was veritably powerless against him.

_The damn baristas abandon me, Sol has yet to tell me how long I will be acting as his personal assassin, we've got spawn loose in the city, probably chowing on humans as if they were Thanksgiving dinner--which I will no doubt be forced to deal with since Sol's too terrified of breaking a nail to help--, and on top of all that, I now have an alien stalker/almost lover whom I can't control myself around. Wonderful._

* * *

Totally unaware of the vampire's predicament, a few miles from the quiescent suburb, Rai'ken impatiently slashed away at the dense foliage around him. Low, irritated growls broke from him in his frustration. He couldn't bring himself to care if a human heard him now--it'd be a blessing if one did. The heat in his blood needed to be released before he simply exploded. A cocky human looking for a fight would be perfect for blowing off steam.

Rai'ken shivered as a gust of biting wind brushed against his bare skin, effectively taking the edge off his temper. Really, how stupid could he have been to ignore the weather patterns of this volatile climate and leave his ship without the protection of his mesh suit? He had been residing on the humans' planet long enough to know most of its seasonal changes by now, so he couldn't claim ignorance. He was acting like a Young Blood, thoughtless and irresponsible.

Rai'ken trilled in relief when he spied his ship, neatly tucked beneath an outcropping of rocks and an adjacent cavern-like formation. As the only wilderness for miles, this small patch of woods was the obvious choice for a hideout. City smog did not appeal to him in the slightest. It was a shame that his refuge was so far away from it, though; he wouldn't mind taking a break from his research for a quick hunt. He'd often done so when he had been at a loss of a lead in other areas. The trophies he had collected over the years were practically spilling out of his room. If he ever managed to get back to civilization, he'd have no trouble enticing a female, regardless of the rumors that had no doubt been born in his absence.

Thinking of his own gaggle of females waiting for him at home dragged up the unwanted scenes he had just escaped back at the blood drinker's home. Rai'ken shuddered in revolt. He had almost bedded that…_animal_. Shame swept through him at his own actions--he had been the one to approach the vampire, not the other way around. If he had attempted that on a Yautja female, he'd have likely been beaten to a bloody pulp; bodily tossed out of the room, at the very least.

A rumbling growl tore through his throat as he stalked inside the ship, the door automatically hissing shut upon his entrance and warm, muggy air clinging to his skin like a much-needed blanket. He immediately stomped to his sleeping quarters. Respite, that's what he needed. Just some time to rest and think. He hastily disconnected the hoses on his mask and removed it before tossing himself onto the pelt-covered mattress. Scrunching his brow, he raised a clawed hand to massage his eyes, heaving a low rumble of vexation. Leave it to him to finally confront this creature and turn the whole thing into…well, _that_!

_L'ulij'bpe pauk-de!_

If the Clan Mothers knew about this, they wouldn't think twice of labeling him as a Bad Blood. Since his birth, he had been under constant surveillance by the Elders, as well as his four brothers, for fear of them turning out like his father, who had apparently murdered an Elder or two back in his day while his mother was pregnant with his youngest brother. He was quickly executed, but the fallout from his actions had permanently tarnished his offspring's futures. Rai'ken didn't know the whole story and he would just as soon keep it that way. Bad Bloods were rare in his clan, so the shame his sire had placed on Rai'ken and his siblings--even if he was only Rai'ken and N'krah's father by blood--was doubly awful. He and his brothers had always had to push themselves further, work harder, think faster, than their peers just to be considered worthy of the Blooding trials. It hadn't troubled him so much that they had had to put forth more effort to earn the same amount of respect; that they had been forced to pay for their father's screw-ups outraged him the most. That, and the fact that any tiny slip-up on their end could very well mean death.

Now, the respect he had worked so hard to gain was in jeopardy of shattering. His dignity and honor would forever be soiled, and he would be damned if all his hard work, all the torment he had suffered from his peers as a pup, all the disdainful remarks he had received from the Elders before he had earned his reputation would be for nothing. He was _not_ going be marked as a criminal because his traitorous body had been unprepared to fight off the vampire's scent.

He had received explicit permission from the Clan Mothers to traverse the galaxy on his own, despite N'krah's obvious disapproval. Being the eldest brother, N'krah had looked after Rai'ken and the younger ones when they were pups and had been the only father figure they had had before their mother died. After that, their grandfather had stepped up and taken them under his proverbial wing, but that didn't stop N'krah from carrying out his duties as the caretaker, namely because Vetrah'se's sanity had been in question. Such sibling affection among Yautja, even in a family as small as theirs, was atypical, but they had learned to band together in each other's defense when they had started attending the training facilities.

For the first year on the humans' planet, N'krah had hounded Rai'ken nonstop to return to the Homeworld. Rai'ken had never told him why he felt such a strong need to continue his search, so N'krah couldn't very well understand his refusal. Eventually he had given up on his efforts and just let Rai'ken pursue whatever he was after.

It had been three human years since Rai'ken had heard anything from his people.

Ironically, he realized that his isolation from the Yautja race was probably the one thing that would keep him a part of it. If no one knew, he couldn't be condemned by anyone other than himself. And he wasn't about to reproach himself for making a simple mistake like this. It had only been the first encounter with the vampire; a mistake was sure to ensue. Next time he would just have to be more careful, though he was unsure whether there should be a next time or not.

_There must be a next time! You've spent years trying to find one of these things, so you are _not_ going to let it slip away just because you are uncomfortable around it!_

He'd just have to go back to studying from afar. The whole incident had merely sparked more questions that would remain unanswered if he didn't pursue the creature. It was better than nothing.

And this time, he'd be prepared.

* * *

**I haven't been focusing enough on Rai'ken's involvement, which I know annoys many of you since this **_**is**_** an Aliens/Predator fic. All I can say is that I'll get deeper into his side of the story later on. Also, I know Aja doesn't seem like the most original character out there yet. I'm working on it. I can't just give you a full character description in the first paragraph and expect you to want to continue reading. Learn more as you go, y'know?**

***sigh* Ranting aside, I hope you guys are enjoying this--I'm neglecting my speech-writing duties to write this instead. Shame on me. ; )**

**Translations (as if most of you don't already know these…)**

**L'ulij'bpe pauk-de!--crazy fucker**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own Predator.**

* * *

The weekend passed horribly slowly for her. It seemed that time had become a thick sludge, and she was wholly stuck in it once again. Witch's Bar & Brew, being three employees short, had been nearly impossible for Aja to handle with the sudden influx of out-of-towners. And they had been so pissy too! Good Lord, what was it about holiday weekends that made everyone so damn irritable?

Aja was _this_ close to tearing her hair (and the twins' throats) out when they finally returned Sunday night, saying something about how _tired_ they were from all the traveling, how they just _needed some time to relax_…

Aja felt a muscle twitch below her left eye. The counter beneath her clenched fist started smoldering. _Don't do it, Aj…it's not worth it, Aj…You could have gone with them…Your fault._

Serafina and Anita had apparently noticed the venom in Aja's glare, and they hurriedly fled the building before she could toss a broken bottle at them.

Most of the bar goers had detected Aja's hostility and had left soon after. Pissed off bartenders tended to get rather violent. The smart ones knew that Aja had the potential to fit perfectly into that category.

She'd locked the place up soon after, moodily shooing the lagging drunks behind and trying to think of something besides their thrumming pulses. She hadn't fed properly the whole weekend, and, while she was certainly less susceptible to extreme hunger pains as a true vampire, the need for sustenance was beginning to feel worse than mere discomfort.

That, and Rai'ken's scent--or lack thereof, in this case--was putting her subversive body through withdrawal. Or something like it, anyway.

Ever since Rai'ken had come and gone nearly three days ago, her body had been acting…well, _strange_. She would wake up from a day's rest feeling heated, uncomfortably so, as if she had a fever or had strayed into the sunlight. And if she got more than three hours of snooze time a day, she considered herself lucky. It had to be from Rai'ken because the adverse effects of Sol's emotions didn't bring forth such reactions. He was the only variable in the equation.

Subconscious thought was a pain and was totally illogical, so she had stopped sleeping in order to preserve her sanity. Admittedly, it wasn't her best idea. It hadn't even been helpful. Dreams had flooded her resting mind every day when she let her haggard mind drift away, playing and replaying the scene with the alien in her loft, enticing her with sweet cruelty of how it could have ended. How it should have ended.

Groaning, Aja peered at the night sky through the bar windows. Dawn was at least a few hours away. She could probably make it to Anezemal for a quick meal and get back in time, but she wasn't going to chance it. She would just have to wait till tomorrow night when she didn't have a bar to run and take up her valuable hunting time.

Despondently, Aja wandered back upstairs, though she didn't think she'd be getting any sleep tonight either. Once in her loft, she snatched a bottle of chilled blood from the fridge, taking only a few sips of the nourishing liquid to make it last. She shuddered in disgust at the temperature of it. She preferred her beverage of choice at 98.6 degrees. Anything under that margin was simply unappetizing.

Obnoxious ringing caused Aja to flinch and nearly spill the contents of the bottle. She sneered at herself. "I really do need some sleep," she mumbled to herself as she set the blood back in the refrigerator and snatched up the phone. She didn't even bother to look at the caller ID. Only one person called her these days.

"Does it ever occur to you that I might want to go a week without dealing with you?" Aja answered tiredly.

"Flight 216 to Dublin takes off at ten tomorrow. Pack lightly." Sol's business-like way of ignoring her quips provoked visions of gruesomely acts in her mind. Well, more gruesome than usual.

"Hmm, and what if Ireland doesn't particularly interest me at this time of year?" Aja leaned against the counter in a bored manner, absentmindedly fiddling with the set of kitchen blades.

"Tough," Sol snapped sharply. He paused, but Aja could tell he had more to say; he always had more to say. "If it's any consolation, this'll be your final assignment. So don't screw it up."

_Click_.

_Ass…can't even say 'goodbye.'_

Ireland. Ten o' clock...in the morning? Aja stared at her phone with a cocked brow, as if the device might reassure her that Sol's newest order had been a figment of her sleep-deprived mind, and sighed in resignation. There was no point in fighting a bond mate's will.

At least if Sol stuck to his word, she'd be freed of his torment and finally be able to go back to a more low-key life. Too much killing often attracted undesired attention from higher-ups, especially since she was killing well-known individuals, and Aja had already dealt with the Ancients far too much for anyone's comfort.

Though they had believed her to be dead after the Lost Battle--an act of human stupidity, which left one Ancient dead-dead, and many more humans and half-breeds slaughtered by the hands of vengeful vampires-- almost 400 years ago, rumors had sprung up that she was still around. Aja knew for a fact that the old vamps had sent their minions to sniff her out in the past and that Sol was the current lucky hound. No surprise there. She was lucky that he had only used the bond to kill off some Masters. Given the circumstances, he could have subjected her to much worse.

She still didn't know exactly why he used her for such a thing. If the Ancients found out that their esteemed Masters were being systematically snuffed out by his command--even if it was by Aja's hands--he would be facing severe and incredibly painful punishment.

Her suspicion was piqued at Sol's dismissive tone though. Most likely, he was planning on killing her soon after she completed the task. With the bond working with him, Aja had no idea what she would do if that was his plan. She knew there had to be a way to reverse it, but finding it would undoubtedly require Ancient advice, which was out of the question.

Sighing, Aja hefted herself off the counter, trudging over to her bedroom. She'd at least try to get some sleep; who knew who Sol had assigned her this time?

* * *

This was so degrading. Sure, he'd followed her for the past Paya-knew-how-many weeks, but watching her sleep? Downright shameful.

It wasn't a planned event, though. The female--_Aja, _he corrected himself--typically retired a little before sunrise, and it was only about two A.M. by humans' time. There was plenty of night left.

Rai'ken watched from his perch on the window ledge as she threw together a small pack of clothing and other personal items. She also seemed to be deliberating between weapons, giving them closer inspections and…weighing them? Aja shook her head exasperatedly and ended up just throwing the cylindrical weapon and a few small daggers into a case.

_She is readying herself for another hunt, _he thought idly_. _His temples tightened at the prospect of following the vampire on yet another outing. Her last assignment had dragged him to the country the humans referred to as "France" and it hadn't been a profitable journey for him in the slightest. While futilely chasing after the vampire, he had had to cross a river on foot; not the smartest thing to do when bearing technology that had no resistance to water, but it had been the only way to keep Aja in his sight at the time. The computer in his gauntlet had short-circuited from the water, which automatically sent a distress signal to the clan ship when malfunctioning. Rai'ken wasn't all that worried about a recovery team being sent to clean up his mess--he wasn't sure they would bother after they had heard nothing from him for so long. No, his current fear was that his cloaking device would become defective, and he would no longer have the luxury of observing the vampire incognito.

Rai'ken's attention was turned back to the female before him. She had attempted to rest after futzing around with her weaponry. _Attempted_ being the key word. Rai'ken watched as the vampire tossed and turned restlessly in her bed, kicking the sheets and constantly switching angles. He chattered in amusement at the sight, though he did feel a slight bit of sympathy for her. Restless nights were nothing new to him either.

Aja suddenly jumped out of bed and stalked over to the window, throwing it open and leaning over the ledge. Not even a couple feet from where Rai'ken was crouched. If he hadn't been so tense, he would have laughed at the woman's ruffled appearance: her baggy night attire was ridiculously wrinkled and her long hair was horribly tangled from her thrashing.

Rai'ken froze when Aja jerked away from his direction. As if she had seen him. She narrowed her eyes, her lips pressed together in a tight frown.

"You again," she said softly, almost a whisper. She dropped her head onto her arms with a groan, leaning on the ledge. "What do you want?"

Rai'ken was silent, tensing for his inevitable jump. Even if he wanted to speak with her, he couldn't have; the translator was back on his ship. His only concern for this outing had been the filter for his mask to block the vampire's scent.

Aja looked in his direction expectantly, her eyes unnervingly beseeching. Rai'ken muffled a reassuring purr and remained quiet. After a few moments of windblown silence and the creaking of old tree branches, Aja shook her head disappointedly, muttered something he couldn't catch, and wandered back to her bed.

She left the window open.

Rai'ken chattered to himself in thought. Was this an invitation for him to come inside? Should he?

He fought the urge to pound his face against the wall.

_Dear Paya, how stupid are you? _He growled to himself but kept his position. Maybe the woman was sick or injured and needed the extra rest? Who knows. Either way, it wasn't his business to care if she was upset or hurt. He was here to study; nothing more, nothing less.

Rumbling quietly, he settled himself against the wall. It would be a long night.

* * *

It's one thing to be rejected by a human. Humans are humans and they can't help but be stupid and ignorant and…_jerks_! But to be spurned by an alien? A freaking _alien_?

_What the hell is wrong with me? _Aja groaned miserably, throwing herself unceremoniously onto her bed and rubbing her aching temples. A cool breeze fluttered in from the window and brushed against her bare arms. Rai'ken's distinct musk drifted into her room; so, she hadn't been seeing things. Aja breathed in deeply, forcing her muscles to go lax, again imagining the meditation candle. Delectable warmth curled inside her, liquefying her insides and reverting her into a giant puddle of hormones and want.

_Just_ _shut the window, stupid!_

Breathing heavily, she sprinted to latch the window and ran back to her bed in a blur of motion. An unsaid threat; reminding the creature outside that, even inebriated, she was capable of great power.

"Beat that, Godzilla," she mocked, albeit a little nastier than she had planned.

Burrowing under the covers, Aja tried to convince herself that that wasn't a growl she just heard.

* * *

**More blahness. I know I sound like a broken record but, action will come soon, I promise!**

**On a different note, I've been looking through my views and stuff, and almost fell off my chair when I saw all the countries y'all are from. Just to list a couple of them: Norway, Croatia, Singapore, Australia, Spain, Israel, Denmark...and more, but I don't want to ramble too much. I know I sound like a nerd, but that is just too freaking cool! :D**

**Please review! :D**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: Noooope, 'tis still under the ownership of Fox.**

**Oh, and it's pronounced Mo-AHR, not MORE. Figured I should point that out.**

* * *

In the deep abyss of space, somewhere around a large gas planet, Moar sat at the computer console, idly tapping random scraps of information into the data bases. It wasn't the most satisfying job, especially for a young, vivacious Yautja, but it was something to do in between hunts, besides duke it out with the older hunters on the ship.

The flashing symbols lulled his senses, and the total darkness of his work space did nothing to help his drooping eyelids. He wished the windows wouldn't have to be tinted while everyone else was sleeping. The orange glow of the nearby planet might have kept Moar alert. Wearily rubbing a clawed hand over the dark, artificial pattern on his tawny shoulder, Moar slouched closer to the pseudo pillow of the keypad. Surely Ultan wouldn't notice if he dozed off for just one…moment…

Piercing screeches zinged through his addled brain some time later. Moar groggily peeled his face away from the metal keypad and swept his dreads out of his face, his eyes snapped open with the sudden, ear-splitting racket and flew to the screen before him. He rumbled to himself as he irritably tapped at the keypad to shut the screeching off. A tiny little triangle of red light flashed in the upper left corner of the screen. A distress signal? Clicking his mandibles, he hurriedly zoomed in on the flash. It led all the way to U'rath, the Ooman planet, on one of its northern continents.

Heavy footsteps were the only precursor to Ultan's presence. "What do we have?" he clicked inquisitively as he ambled closer to the screen.

Moar quickly glanced at his superior and lowered his head in respect. "It appears to be a distress signal from…" he zoomed in closer to the continent and made note of its coordinates "…Frrahnce?" He narrowed his eyes at the foreign Ooman word.

Ultan cocked his head, puzzled. "I was not aware we currently had any hunting parties on U'rath," he noted.

Moar shook his head, typing in a series of digits to pinpoint the exact location of the signal. From such a distance, he had no way of hacking into the device to decipher whom it belonged to. He relayed this to Ultan.

"The Elders must have some accessible records for anyone who had requested permission. Contact me when you find them."

"Of course, Elder."

The hulking Yautja lumbered out the door and down the dimly lit corridors. Of course Moar would be the one to be ordered to do this. It came with the territory of being the youngest on the scout ship. He wasn't complaining, though. As long as he followed orders, he'd stay in the Elders' good graces, and he would be allowed to travel on the ship without hassle.

He just missed his sleeping rights.

Groaning quietly, he arched his back in a vertebrae-popping stretch. That damn chair was going to be the death of him. He'd do anything for a bottle of C'ntlip right then. Resigned, he set to work searching through the data files the Elders had for open access for purposes such as this. Years-old profiles of Yautja hunters came up, some labeled as "deceased" others as "unknown." Moar sifted through the individuals that weren't listed on an expedition to the Ooman planet, which cut about one-third of the potential hunters. Searching for living hunters narrowed it down to three individuals. Two were marked as unknown--a grizzled older warrior and a Young Blood--and the last wasn't labeled at all. Moar furrowed his brow in befuddlement. That was odd. He started with the unlabeled one but made a mental note to go back and check the unknowns as well, just in case.

The unlabeled Yautja was certainly an interesting read. His profile wasn't long, but what was on it made up for the quantity. Rai'ken of the H'dlak Thwei Clan, the Feared Blood Clan. Rai'ken…

Moar's sharp green eyes snapped wide open. Rai'ken! There was no way…it was impossible, he hadn't had contact with his half-brother in ages! But the accompanying visual proved it--his coloring was hard to misjudge. His older sibling had sent the signal. Worry tightened in his chest.

Might_ have sent the signal_, he reminded himself. No point getting jumpy about it when he still had two other options. He hastily scanned through the other two, dumping the Young Blood almost instantly from the complete lack of current information. He took his time with the older one, though, and for good reason. The name on this one had just as powerful a meaning to Moar as Rai'ken's had. Vetrah'se. His mother's father, whom he thought had died years ago…

Two estranged family members located in a single evening. It must be his lucky night.

Heart thudding erratically, Moar swept through the files for more in-depth info. He hadn't even known Rai'ken or Vetrah'se had gone to U'rath, and he intended to find out why.

And, damn, did he ever. He had no idea his sibling was so, for lack of a better word, _hulij-bpe_. The profile said that he had requested permission from the Clan Mothers--Moar's eyes grew wider still at this--for a solo research mission on a fabled human subspecies, of all things.

Considering the familial background, Moar was surprised the old females had allowed such a thing, even if Rai'ken was an Honored Warrior. Rai'ken and the rest of them were still under much suspicion, even if they had yet to prove to the Elders and Clan Mothers that they had unsavory intentions besides their respective Young Blood recklessness (Moar's tattooed body an eye-popping testament to that.) And he and his youngest brother, Tal'lok, weren't even the offspring of the Bad Blood for Paya's sake!

_Better safe than sorry_, Moar thought bitterly.

Jealousy sometimes warred inside Moar for N'krah and Rai'ken's respective statuses. It was unfair, not to mention ironical, that _they_ were the true children of the Bad Blood, yet they were the ones with all the power and respect. True, they were older, but that didn't mean they were any less the spawn of a criminal. And Moar and Tal'lok's association with them was enough to put them on high alert as well.

It was one of the reasons why he had to stay with Ultan. He provided some form of protection and transportation. Being both young _and_ problematic, Moar hadn't been granted a ship of his own, so Ultan had allowed him to take residence in the small scout ship after he had completed his Chiva. Like his current task of managing the navigation, it wasn't all that exciting, but it was better than remaining on the Homeworld under the watchful eyes of the Elders, like a pup. Moar couldn't stand the thought. Consequently, he hadn't seen any of his family members since.

And now he had the opportunity to contact his kin. He just wished the circumstances were better.

Now was one of those times that he was truly pissed off at his non-father; owning his own ship would have been preferable right now. Ultan would almost certainly allow him to use a dropship to traverse on his own. He wasn't a particularly strict warrior, which was probably the only reason Moar's head was still attached to his shoulders. Any other Elder would have already torn him apart for his characteristic lack of tact and respect. And if Moar couldn't convince him to loan the dropship, Ultan would simply take him there, such was his leniency.

His mind made up, Moar swiveled out of the chair, ignoring his aching bottom's protests, and sprinted over to Ultan's quarters. He raised a quick hand to the buzzer and pressed it without forethought. A rumbling growl echoed down the metal halls as heavy footsteps followed. Muffled curses resonated from down the hall from the ship's multiple inhabitants at the shrill noise. Flinching, Moar realized his mistake, though acknowledging it right then was a moot point. He couldn't take it back now.

_You never think things through, boy!_ the aged snarl of Vetrah'se sounded in his head.

Heart stuck in his throat, Moar clenched his mandibles tighter as Ultan, clad in only a simple loin cloth, wrenched the door open. Weary, yellow eyes sharpened at the sight of a fidgeting Moar before him.

"What have you found?" he asked tiredly as he motioned Moar into his quarters. Moar reluctantly passed through the threshold--he wasn't planning on getting comfortable. Dim blue lighting pulsed from the walls and reflected off of the silver pelt on Ultan's mammoth bed. Just the sight of such a bed suddenly kicked Moar's exhaustion to the front of his mind, to a dangerously unstable level.

"Well?"

Moar quickly shook himself, his tresses clattering against his dull metal shoulder guards. "Sorry, Elder." He blinked rapidly to clear his head. Where to begin? "What I have found…it is incredible."

"If it were so incredible, I'd expect you to have been done explaining it to me by now." Moar winced. Ultan was lenient, but even the most light-hearted Yautja was dangerous to approach when first awakened.

"It's my brother." Moar figured he would try to tread lightly and only mention one of his newly found family members. It might sound suspicious if he said anymore, and he needed to be the one to find them.

Ultan stared down at the young Yautja's lanky form, nonplussed. "Which one?"

"Rai'ken."

Ultan scrunched his heavily spiked brow in consternation, apparently trying to place the name with a face. A spark of recognition lit in his eyes and was quickly shadowed with scorn. "I've heard of that one. The head case, right?"

A low growl built up in Moar's chest, and he clenched his fists. "There is no proof that what he has been searching for does not exist," he countered defensively. True, he himself thought his older brother was one good shove away from going completely insane for doing such a thing, but that didn't give anyone else the right to say so.

Ultan's thick arms crossed over his chest. Eyes narrowed, he barked out a quick answering growl to Moar's. "_Ki'dte,_ boy. Taking a swing at me will only land you in the infirmary," he admonished, his upper left mandible quirked up in a smirk as Moar's head lowered in contrition, "and if you're in there, how will you get to your brother?"

Moar's head suddenly snapped up at Ultan's--dare he say--_teasing_ tone. His mandibles clenched and unclenched in time with his fists as his nerves bunched together in a muddled knot. "Y-you," he roughly cleared his clogged-up throat, "you are allowing me to…go?" he asked warily with an almost entreating gaze.

Ultan burst into rapid clicking laughter, his shoulders shaking with the movement. Reaching for Moar's shoulder, he said, "As if I could stop you if you really wished to go." He shook Moar's shoulder companionably. "Take K'tor's ship. I doubt he'll be needing it anytime soon." The young warrior--older than Moar but still younger than most of the crew--was in an almost constant state of injury, his newest being a semi-concussion from a pipe he hadn't had the sense to dodge in time. K'tor would have been dropped from the ship ages ago if he hadn't been such a brilliant mechanic--the main reason why he was forever wounded.

Moar hurriedly thanked the Elder and was synapses away from bounding down to the ship holders when Ultan's raspy voice cut him off. "However," he added coolly, "I expect you to be back here in a month's time. And I'm sure K'tor will enjoy exacting revenge for any damage done to his ship."

Moar choked on a roar of antagonism. One month? It would take him at least five days just to get to U'rath, and that was if he didn't stop for any supplies or rest! His currently drooping eyelids positively screamed at the thought of more sleepless nights.

As if sensing Moar's predicament, Ultan continued, "Get some sleep tonight. You look half-way into Cetanu's hands." Ultan ushered Moar's sagging frame out into the hall, trying not to laugh at Moar's bewildered expression. The Young Blood stumbled out of the doorway.

"I don't expect to see you here when I wake up," were Ultan's parting words. A wry grin plucked at Moar's mandibles. Permission to go after his brother and grandfather with an impossible deadline to make.

_Typical Ultan_, he thought tiredly as he stumbled into his own room. _Does he ever make any sense?_

* * *

**I was kinda hesitant to post this chapter, simply because I don't know what the hell I'm talking about. Seriously. I'm just pulling this out of my ass, which makes me feel like an ass, 'cuz I'm ASSuming. So, suggestions would be great, corrected terminology would be appreciated, and, as always, reviews would be amazing! :D**

**And if you're wondering, I'm using "Ooman" and other such Yautja pronunciations because these dudes don't know any better, or simply don't care. Rai'ken uses the correct wording and whatnot because he's been subjected to human society for awhile. Just in case you were curious. I also have no clue if Yautja bother with tattoos or not, but it seemed different, so...And I know that H'dlak Thwei doesn't translate exactly into Feared Blood, but we'll just pretend it does. ;)**

**Translations**

**_Ki'dte--Enough_**

**_Cetanu--God of Death_**

**_Hulij-bpe--Crazy/Insane_**


	10. Chapter 10

Because I am bored and have no life, I'm gonna post the disclaimer in German. Cheers for Google Translate! *ahem*

**Disclaimer: Ich besitze kein Predator, und ich muss sagen, diese so in einer anderen Sprache zu betonen. Denn ich bin einfach so cool.**

* * *

Aja irritably stuffed her passport into her long coat and pushed the sunglasses tighter against her nose. Security was a pain in the ass, as usual; they just didn't seem to understand that some people needed to transport weapons via airplane, or that _some_ people had metal on their bodies that couldn't be taken off. Ignorant asswads. Moments like that made her truly hate the silver scars all over her body. Not that she was ever particularly fond of them, but they at least proved that she could handle herself in a fight. She thanked whatever deity that had the gall to look after her for making the security guards' minds so malleable, or her hunger-weakened compulsion would have been totally ineffective.

Blinking blearily from the aftereffects of the powerful mental attack, she promptly sought out her seat and waited for the plane to take off. Time to sit back, relax, and brush up on her newest victim. What fun.

At least Sol had done a decent job in digging up a passable subject. This week was Taion, the lone Master of Ireland. The information didn't give her a last name, so he must have been old enough to originate from a time when they weren't widely used. The small packet of info Sol had discreetly passed her in the airport provided a short profile of Taion, and Aja skimmed it with droopy, sun-weary eyes.

_No formal use of any weaponry (the last I checked); possibly Northern Shaolin user, not entirely sure_. _Probably fire user, again not sure._

Aja rolled her eyes at Sol's chicken scratch. _Glad you did your research, buddy_.

Taion appeared to be nothing out of the ordinary, though; most older vampires trained in at least one form of martial arts on the grounds that it sometimes helped control the element they specialized in. The movements of Northern Shaolin certainly would prove a decent physical outlet for an aggressive fire user.

Aja continued to glance over Sol's hastily scribbled notes, already formulating moves she could use, different scenarios that could play out; more from boredom than any anxiety over the looming confrontation. This vamp didn't seem any more lethal than the others, though one word mentioned in the report stuck out: _umbraso_. A user of dark attacks, a manipulator of shadows. Huh…interesting. That meant that Taion was a half-breed-one that hadn't died yet as a human, and the vampire genetics had yet to completely kick in.

_An umbraso…_Aja's jaw slacked in disbelief. _Damn_. _That changes things. _Umbrasos were a foreign concept to her. She knew next to nothing about them, which was about as much as the rest of the world knew. In fact, the only thing that she was entirely certain of was that the shadows they manipulated were too lethal to wield close to the body. That meant Taion would definitely be fighting from a distance. And Aja was going to have to get right up in his face early in the confrontation if she would have any chance at a successful kill.

Something jolted in her mind, something that had nothing to do with fighting tactics. With a start, she flipped back through the thick pages, unsure what exactly she was looking for but figuring she would know when she found it. Sol must have given her a photo or a physical description of some kind so she could identify him…Aja nimbly plucked sheet after sheet and finally came upon a small pocket photo, dimmed with age and wrinkled on the corners. A tall man in a long, dark leather coat seemed to be skirting around bystanders of a grisly car accident, his face angled in a shifty glance away from the camera. The glimpse allowed by the picture confirmed the thought that had pinged in her mind. Dark amethyst eyes peered from behind a high collar, framed by dusky skin and long, black hair. Aja's breath caught in a silent gasp.

The umbraso was the spitting image of Antigone.

Her mind sputtered in frantic thoughts, all boiling down to one distinct presumption:

_Sol sent me after my own _brother_?_

A brother she'd never known existed, but a brother no less. She knew Antigone had sired many half-breed children in his time, but she never really thought about it until she literally came face to face with them. She'd only met three in her lifetime, and all of them were now dead, thanks to the Council.

_So, there's more. One that dear ol' Dad missed._

Aja pursed her lips in thought. Besides the fact that Taion was probably worlds stronger than she ever would be, she didn't know if she would be able to kill him when the opportunity arose. Kin should always come first, especially when they were essentially on the same side of a fight. The Council was after both of them, simply for being what they were. Would it really make sense for her to kill Taion?

_Dammit, Sol!_ She grit her teeth in frustration. Fangs clenched so tight that they were in danger of chipping.

She slowly released the pressure on her jaw and relaxed her muscles. It had been a long day, and she hadn't even been out of bed for more than three hours! Her deep breathing earned a few questioning stares from other passengers. She resisted the urge to smack herself for being so open about her frustration. The last thing she wanted was humans gawking at her.

_Just think of what they would do if I flashed a fang. _She snickered at the mental image of dozens of humans plowing through each other in a panicked mob, trying to outrun the ravenous monster breathing down their necks.

Frowning, Aja kicked the thought away. They were just humans. As weak and irritating as they could be, they were also her food source, and they deserved at least some recognition for that. She almost felt shameful for what she had been thinking.

A lanky teenager with ear buds stuffed in his ears suddenly tripped over some girl's heels, making her shriek and kick at him as he crashed to the floor with her ankle in his hand. Loud murmuring erupted in the crowded cabin as he scrambled up, shoving his way farther back in the plane. A scandalized expression planted itself on the girl's face, and the next thing the teen knew, a wooden hairbrush connected solidly with the back of his head, knocking him to the ground once more.

Aja couldn't help it; she rolled her eyes and bit back a smirk. _Almost _shameful. If only humans were gifted with a vampire's grace...

_Speaking of humans and nonhumans…_Aja peered up and down the noisy aisle with suspicious eyes. She had half expected her alien stalker to come aboard after her in pursuit; he had definitely still been at her house when she'd left. After a quick scrutiny, she realized that his smell didn't linger anywhere except on her clothing, proving that he was nowhere in the vicinity. Sighing in a befuddling combo of relief and disappointment, she pulled the blinds over the window and slouched back to try to catch up on her lost hours of rest.

* * *

Perhaps he hadn't thought this through clearly enough. Rai'ken had been able to follow the vampire to the airlift complex on his own ship, but now that the cloaked vessel was hovering over the structure housing _several_ of the crafts, he was very nearly kicking himself for not simply implanting a tracking device in the girl while he had the chance to make his following her a little easier. How was he supposed to know which craft held the blood drinker?

_I'm proving to be more brain dead with each passing day…_

He knew her destination, at least, which gave him something to fall back on: Dublin, Ireland. Thank Paya for context clues. Now he just needed to figure out where in the world _that_ was. Easier said than done. Simply typing it into the ship's locating system did nothing without exact coordinates, so he had to resort to tapping into the humans' archaic data files. He was disgruntled to admit that it was more effective than his own ship's superior technology.

According to the humans' information, at this time of year, Dublin's average temperature was barely over 50 degrees Fahrenheit. He didn't exactly comprehend the human way of measuring temperature, but he knew it was too cold for his liking. Rai'ken growled to himself as he went to fetch heavier thermal netting. Why couldn't this female ever go somewhere warm? It'd certainly make his search a little easier to handle.

After retrieving said bulkier netting, he settled back into the front of the ship and scanned the airport once more. It was a little harder to do from such a distance, but he could make out Aja's cooler form flitting through the mass of red-orange blobs of human heat and. He tried desperately to keep track of her sporadic movements, her blurring speed not assisting his attempts in the slightest. Neither was the fact that another cooler heat signature had approached her at one point-no doubt it was that male superior he had first encountered. After they split up in different directions, Rai'ken had to wrack his brain to figure which one was the vampire he was after.

_Pauk_…

Well, that settled it. He'd just have to meet her there.

Resigned, he tapped in the coordinates to the ship's database and set it at a slow cruise. No need to beat the blood drinker there by such a large amount of time, after all.

* * *

Aja exhaustedly flopped onto her king-sized bed in the Superior Bedroom at the Westbury Hotel; the one and only good thing about Sol was that he always booked a decent hotel for her, though she hadn't a clue why. Maybe he was just bored with all the money he had.

Cuddling up to the plush pillows, Aja wondered where she would begin to look for Taion tonight. Individual Masters were sometimes hard to keep track of, which meant that Sol often couldn't give her a clear idea of where her targets were. Still, with Taion being the only Master in Ireland, it was hard to believe Sol hadn't come up with something useful. He hadn't even given her any idea of his residence.

Sighing, she sank deeper into the pillows and kicked her shoes off into the corner of the room. She glanced out the window with tired eyes, gazing at the wonderfully colorful streaks of the clouds, courtesy of the sunset. Magnificent fuchsia and indigo laced the dimming sky, tiny flecks of stars twinkling in the abyss of night trailing after the glowing orb.

For a second, Aja almost felt peaceful, knowing how petty and small she was in the grand scheme of things, a simple blip on the radar of the universe. Somehow, the thought that she was a mere thread woven into the tapestry of life was comforting in the midst of all the meaningless turmoil she went through day after day.

With that thought, she drifted into a deep slumber.

* * *

Gah, I cannot stand how this chapter turned out, but I needed to put _something_ in to make the transition between chapters. _And_ this came in late, _and_ it's short. Ugh, I'm horrible! I have to give props to all of you who have put up with my ranting and have kept reading thus far; I know I've thrown a lot of details (sometimes overly irrelevant ones) and other useless junk at you in a short span of time. I'm doing my best to even things out, so hopefully this'll get better. If it's any consolation, everything in this chapter was completely necessary to mention. It's kinda sad that I have to say that, don't you think? *sigh* Again, thank you to everyone who has been reading and reviewing this! ^_^

Your favorite contradiction (I've been wanting to say that for awhile XD),

Clear as Mud


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: *Sigh* Is anyone else getting tired of these? I don't own the Yautja race (I shall not comment how much I really, _really_ wish I did...oh, wait...) I do own my "version" of the vampires and all other random names and stuff. Do I need to put in here that I don't own Ireland too? T_T**

* * *

Rai'ken huffed in relief when he finally found Aja. He had been hovering in his ship over the large airport for more than four hours before her plane finally showed up.

It had been even harder to track her strange heat signature in such a packed building. Her dull, bluish-purple form was often lost in the crowds of human heat, and it was made worse since the chilly weather forced many humans to use insulating clothing that blocked their heat. He thanked Paya when she at last exited the complex and hailed a ground vehicle. For what purpose, he had no idea, because she traveled a very short distance down the road and hopped out at a tall boarding building. A hotel, the humans called it.

Regrettably, there was no open, safe area for him to lower his ship to. He'd have to waste the solar batteries to keep it levitating over the building, as well as to keep the cloak up. Even worse, it looked like the sun was going down already, so he'd have to wait until the next night after the ship had gotten a decent enough charge during the day to move it somewhere more discreet. Until then, he could only hope that the female would stay within the city where he could track her on foot.

Rai'ken wandered to the lower level of the ship where he stored his weapons and armor. He cast a dubious look around the large room, unsure what he should arm himself with. Now that he had a better idea of what vampires were physically capable of, he knew he would need more protection. Especially if he planned on successfully capturing the female.

After thoroughly combing through the vast expanse of equipment, he settled for light armor (over the thick mesh, of course) that only covered his upper chest and shoulders, the basic wrist guards, his wrist blades, a couple shuriken-though, admittedly, he wasn't all that great with the long-distance weapons-and plasma caster, which he didn't really plan on using. It was simply his recourse in case Aja turned out to be too much to handle.

Rai'ken strolled out of the room and down the hall to the transport, indolently untangling a knot in the heating body mesh. Though his actions were nonchalant, his insides were twisting with nervousness and excitement, not unlike his reaction before his Kainde Amedha Chiva.

This time he would be prepared for a _fight_.

His cloaked figure jumped out of the ship, a barely audible thud sounding from his landing on the roof of the hotel. Now, to find the little vampire. Shouldn't be too hard since there were less people in the building than out of it, and he had not seen the girl leave, fortunately. Even with her distinct heat signature, it'd be nearly impossible to keep track of her in a city so packed full of people, especially since he knew there must be more cold-blooded vampires wandering the streets if Aja was out on a hunt. Rai'ken vaguely noted that he would have plenty of other specimens to study from if Aja wound up dead or if he lost track of her. Unbidden, a dim flare of anger lit inside him at the thought. Replacing Aja with another vampire seemed…wrong, somehow; as if she really was _his_ specimen, _his_ vampire.

Shaking himself from his dangerous musings, he did an internal scan of the building and found Aja's unmistakable cool form on one of the top floors, balcony included. The big alien wanted to sigh at the simplicity of it, but he knew he shouldn't be complaining that something was actually going to be easy to accomplish for once.

Rai'ken set out to his task of climbing down the side of the building, the movements coming easily to him on the rough, yet pleasantly warm, stone. The bustling city below him seemed miles away as he nimbly leaped from balcony to balcony, homing in on Aja's cool temperature. She hadn't moved in awhile; he figured she must be sleeping. Perfect.

With a final silent leap, he caught the edge of the balcony railing and flipped himself up and over it, his powerful legs taking the brunt of the landing, keeping as quiet as possible so he wouldn't alert the idle vampire.

From here, he would keep a stern eye on her and make sure she never left his sight. Not stalking, just…keeping tabs. Making sure that she wouldn't go getting herself killed with this next assignment. Maybe her target would wound her and make her easier to catch. Rai'ken shook his head in disgust at himself for thinking of taking advantage of an injured being. It was clear, though, that he would certainly have to catch the vampire off guard if he was going to catch her. Or kill her, for that matter, but that wasn't on his agenda just yet. He had too many questions that needed direct answers from her alone; killing her right now would get him nowhere in his research.

A brisk wind brushed across his already-chilled skin as he settled down on the concrete. He longed to go inside where it was warm, but he couldn't risk Aja discovering him; his scent alone would probably wake her up even if she didn't hear him enter the room. He couldn't take that chance.

Sudden motion turned his attention toward the figure in the room. Rai'ken peered through the glass doors. Aja's cool blue heat signature had spiked to a golden orange, and she was thrashing about on the bed, clinging to the pillows as if they were her lifeline. Like the other night, only this time she was definitely asleep. Rai'ken zoomed in on the vampire's features, noticing thin tracks of cooler energy originating from her clenched eyes. He knew humans referred to these drops of liquid as "tears," which were often provoked from humans when in pain or feeling sadness, but he hadn't known vampires were capable of such a reaction. He chattered in confusion; the vampire was crying in her sleep?

* * *

"_Aja, come on. Father brought bread!" an excited, shrill voice called out. Pre-teen-or what appeared to be pre-teen-Aja stood from her kneeling position in the garden and brushed the soil off her heavy skirts. The scorching August sun glared down at her from its place on the horizon as she lifted her sweat-streaked face and raced into the little hut for the promise of supper. The baked ground of the small lodging beneath her feet felt heavenly against her tender soles, as opposed to the rocky turf she toiled in all day. _

_Aja perched on her poorly built chair at the dinner table and smiled politely at her parents and sister in greeting. Her mother returned it wanly; it was the most pleasant expression she could make in this stage of the sickness. Aja's features melted into sympathy, which Isabella shook her head at. Sympathy was lost on one who was patiently waiting for death. _

_The girl lowered her eyes when her father's gruff voice addressed her. "Eat, child, and be grateful that you can," he said with a look at her pale-faced mother._

"_Yes, Papi." She recited a quiet prayer for her food and set about her meal of stale bread and mangos from their garden. It wasn't much, but it was better than what half the populace of Spain had. Aja was merely grateful that the Black Death had not been reported in her homeland yet._

_Rosa's small figure straightened in her chair as she unceremoniously spat out a mouthful of bread. "This is old," she whined. "And it tastes like dirt!"_

"_Rosa, please," Aja hushed her, eyes widened in apprehension and flicking in Vince's direction. She flinched at the dark look that had shadowed his features._

"_Consider yourself lucky that you even have food before you. All of you!" He flung his arms out, loudly gesturing to the quiet family as he stood abruptly. "I've never met a more unappreciative bunch than the lot of you!" Wild anger turned his haggard face a flushed red color as Rosa let out a quiet whimper. Aja gripped her sister's shaking hand beneath the table in an effort to calm her._

"_Please…sit down, dear," Isabella begged weakly and patted his hand. "You've had a long day." Her hollow eyes sparked in surprise when Vince smacked her hand away. He glared at the pale woman and, with a last livid glance at Aja and Rosa, he stormed out of the room._

"_Why does Papi get so angry, Mami?" Rosa's small voice quivered as she fingered the medallion at her throat. Aja gently squeezed her hand in silent reassurance; she herself could never understand why he was always so unstable._

"_He works very hard to support us, _mi hija_. It frustrates him when we do not act accordingly."_

"_Well, he doesn't have to be so mean about it!" Rosa said bitterly. "All I said was that the bread tasted bad!"_

"_Rosa, Papi has a point," Aja said quietly, though resentment threatened to strain her voice. "We are very lucky that we have anything to eat in times like this."_

_Rosa turned her big brown eyes to her older sister. Trembling doe eyes that made anyone want to hold and protect her-which Aja had often been forced to do during Vince's violent tantrums. "You do more work than he does," she pointed out grumpily, "and you don't yell." _Or hurt me_, her eyes finished as Aja did her best to avoid looking at the bruises scattered along Rosa's cheeks. She wasn't able to protect her sister all the time._

_She gasped faintly as a loud smashing noise came through the window from outside. Vince had broken into Aja's gardening shed. Incoherent shouting and grunting sounded in between the crashes. Rosa whimpered again and scrunched her eyes shut, clinging tightly to Aja's hand. Aja shushed her and smoothed her hair back as Isabella's hopeless eyes closed in dismay._

"_I'm going to go make sure he hasn't hurt himself," Aja muttered. Rosa's eyes widened as her older sister released her hand and went outside._

_The sun had gone down by now, leaving the solemn earth in a deep purple gloom. Citrus trees misted the air with a light, crisp scent, carried by a lazy breeze. All appeared tranquil except for Vince's infuriated bellowing and grunting. Aja caught sight of him a good twenty yards away in the garden, furiously stabbing the dry earth with a trowel. She cautiously crept up to him._

"_Papi?" she called softly. "Are you okay?"_

_Vince jerked his head up, glaring balefully at Aja with narrowed eyes. "_Déjame, bruja! _You are no child of mine__!" __he snarled, brandishing the sharp gardening tool. Aja gasped and took an unsteady step back, fist clenched over her heart in hurt._

Leave me, witch!

_Vince's lip curled in contempt as he picked himself off the ground, slowly advancing towards Aja with the trowel firmly in his grasp. "If it weren't for you, this garden would not be bare! My wife would not be dying!" he snarled. "_Demonio_! What use are you if you only bring suffering to this family? I should have gotten rid of you the moment after your _birth_." He sneered at the word._

_The girl hurriedly shuffled backwards at his progression. "You're wrong," she whispered. Vince growled and lunged for her with the trowel's point. Panicked, Aja spun away and ran back to the hut, picking up her skirts and calling for her mother and sister over the frantic thrumming of her heart. Vince sprang after her with an inhuman roar, trowel raised. He quickly caught up with her and grasped her long skirts, making her tumble to the ground with a shriek. _

_Fear, confusion, and anger warred inside Aja as she tried to kick her father off, clumsily avoiding his stabs. He shouted inarticulately at his misses. Grasping her throat, he jammed the trowel into her stomach, hot blood gushing out of the wound as Aja screamed in pain. Vince smirked in satisfaction and wrenched the bloodied tool out of the crying girl, going for another thrust._

"Muere, demonio!" _He tightened his grasp on Aja's throat, making her choke on her cries of pain, as he plunged the point deeper into her body with a vicious twist. Agony exploded inside her; she had never known such pain! Over the horrid cries of Vince and her own strangled choking gasps, she could hear Rosa and Isabella crying from the doorway._

"_Papi! Stop!" Rosa cried, trying to leap to her sister's aid, but Isabella held her back. She knew it was futile. Vince had threatened this since Aja's birth. Tears welled in her eyes at her husband's brutality, but there was nothing she could do for her firstborn._

_Vince looked up from Aja's prone form and focused onto Rosa. Twisting the rusted metal out of Aja, he lurched upward and charged at the little girl. Eyes wide in terror, Rosa buried her face in Isabella's skirts, too scared to do anything else._

_Aja lay gasping on the dusty ground. She could taste the salt of her blood rising like bile in her throat. Hot tears dribbled down her cheeks as she clenched at the blood soaked fabric of her tunic. She furrowed her brow when she realized the pain was easing. Pressing against her molested skin, she was unable to find any point of intrusion from the trowel. _

_A high pitched shriek yanked her attention away from her unexplainable healing to Rosa, who was tearing into the woods, away from Vince's violent advances with tears of helplessness and horror streaking her cheeks._

_Suddenly, it was as if nothing mattered to Aja. No pain, no fear. Just righteous fury and the urge to protect her sister._

_She rolled over in a haze of pain, clutching the ground with trembling fingers, and collected herself to a standing position. The world spun and shook, and everything looked like it had white and gray shadows behind it, but Aja blinked and shook it off. She hobbled into the dark woods, pain making her collapse once, but she quickly scrambled up, the heat of anger and vengeance drove her on; fury a molten fuel in her veins. Rosa's shrill cry split the cooling air. Aja quickened her pace, the pain now only a small twinge in her belly, as she swatted dark branches from her face._

"_Rosa!" she cried. She broke through a clearing bare of bothersome foliage, with thick grass scratching at her legs. "Rosa!"_

"_Aja," came her weak wail. In an instant, Aja took in the gruesome scene before her: Vince bent over Rosa's tiny form, her blood soaking his clothes; Rosa, pale, the handle of the trowel broken, lodged in her chest, just beneath her heart. Blood gushing in a crimson puddle. Dying._

_White hot rage boiled and swept over inside her, her temperature noticeably rising as she crashed against a stunned Vince, throwing him off the helpless child. Aja could smell smoke and feel a scorching heat as she pummeled Rosa's assailant with bare fists, with a ferocity totally alien to her usual come-what-may attitude. Blinding light flickered before her, but she paid it no mind, feeling a bizarre pressure release from her as she slammed her small fists against Vince's jaw with the inhuman strength of vengeance, clawing at his eyes with a wrathful shriek. Vince made half-hearted attempts to block her blows, but to no avail; he was too weak, and she was too incensed to stop._

_She didn't know for how long she sat there planting strike after strike on that pathetic man's person, she didn't care. She wanted to brand this man as a traitor to his family, a murderer, she wanted the misery and anger to magically pass from her fists into his body as she struck, so she wouldn't have to deal with it, but soon she became aware of loud voices and hands grabbing at her flailing arms to stop her and pull her away. _

_Eyes slowly clearing and sanity returning, she hurriedly pulled back from Vince. Or what was left of him. Where the man once was lay a bloody, charred body with a seared and blackened face. He wasn't moving. Aja held in a gag from the stench of cooked flesh. Through blurry eyes, she saw a dozen villagers scurry around his body. They looked on in fear, hesitantly prodding at Vince's lifeless limbs and taking in his thoroughly scorched flesh. Some of them turned their wild, terror-filled eyes at her, crossing themselves and desperately murmuring prayers._

_Aja ignored them and fell to the ground by Rosa. _

_Golden brown skin had gone chalky with the loss of blood, alabaster white against the obsidian medallion against her throat. Her doe-like eyes stared into oblivion, her soul searching far beyond what Aja could ever see. Unthinkingly, Aja patted the dead girl's dark hair, tucking a wayward strand behind her ears. Cries of anguish split the solemn air as she cradled Rosa's bloody body against her breast. Aja trembled and quivered in agony, in guilt and pain so strong she thought it might tear her in two. She was supposed to protect her; she always had. And she had spent the last moments of her sister's life killing her killer instead of trying to help her. She sobbed brokenly into the little girl's tunic, not caring that Rosa's blood smeared onto her face, painting her with the liquid of lost life._

_Insistent hands suddenly wrapped around her arms and tried to wrench her away from her sister as people crowded around the child, but Aja didn't loosen her grip, her fist closed around Rosa's necklace; the necklace she had given her just last month for her eighth birthday. Firm hands latched onto her waist and wrested her from the girl, the silk chord snapping inside her clenched fist. Aja looked on with empty eyes. Pain registered in her brain, and she raised her hands to her face. Her knuckles were a bright scarlet and were tender to the touch, the blackness of soot staining her skin, mixed with Vince's wretched blood._

"_Demonio…demonio," a quiet voice chanted. Hopeless tears stung her eyes as she realized the voice was her own._

_The hands still grabbed at her, but she made no move to throw them away. It was useless. Torches lit in the distance. Enraged voices echoed off the valley walls. She could hear the church folk coming; the punishers, all the way from Barcelona. Fists suddenly slammed against her jaw and temples, and she crumpled to the ground, no longer caring about pain. Physical pain was nothing._

_The hanger's voice called through the hushed silence. Death would soon be upon her. Maybe she would be with Rosa? No. Wherever her innocent little sister went, Aja wouldn't be going. Not now, not ever._

"_Get her! Stop her! Stop the witch!"_

_It was only as these voices reached her ears that she realized she was running. Not knowing where she was going, but running nonetheless. Branches smacked against her face as she fled through the thick patch of trees, her bare feet slicing under the rugged surface of rocks as she neared the coast. Shouts followed her, but she could barely make them out over the throbbing of her pulse, her heart slamming against her ribs, her ragged panting. _

_Her skirts snagged on the low branches, and she hurriedly tore them off. With the action came the sluggish return of rational thought, and she realized where she was fleeing to. The cliff wasn't too far ahead. If she was going to die, it would be by her own doing. Not the hanger. Not the pyre._

_The rocky coast came into view. A harsh sea breeze whipped past her, tore through her ripped clothing. The voices were closer now, bearing own on her in their outrage and fear. Tear-filled eyes narrowed in focus and determination, she sped up to the edge of the precipice, towards the crashing of the sea. The escape to oblivion._

_Heat flared at her back as a burning torch struck her from behind. Yelping in pain, she continued her run. Without turning back, she hurtled herself off the cliff-face, into her churning, watery grave._

* * *

Aja bolted from the twisted blankets of the bed and collapsed onto the plush carpet. Gasping harshly, she grasped at her throat for the silk chord, needing to feel its reassuring cool surface, welcoming the searing of the silver on her palm. Nausea festered inside her. Bile rose in her throat, and she fled to the adjacent bathroom, dry heaving into the toilet. The ache, the guilt…it was all flying back at an earth shattering pace, and she couldn't take it.

After several minutes of throwing up acidic stomach fluids, she flushed the liquid and staggered up to the sink. Splashing cold water on her flushed, tear-stained face, she had to resist the urge to just dunk her whole head in a bucket of ice water and never come out. End it all right there, right then, no matter how degrading and stupid the method was. Her impromptu cliff dive all those years ago hadn't done the trick; she'd woken up a few days later in the basement of the church, strapped to a slab of rock with tarnished silver stakes driven through her hands, feet, and abdomen, pinning her to the stone. And then there was the Council...and her father...She clenched her eyes, snapping the train of thought in two.

Now that she was thinking clearer, she had to wonder why she had dreamed about the incident at all. She thought she had driven the ghastly memory out of her mind, covered it with a sheet like stored furniture and looked past it. It used to recur on a nightly basis, but over the centuries, new memories and experiences had effectively banished the horrid event. Or so she had thought. The stress must have been getting to her...

Aja glared into the mirror, taking in her appearance with a critical eye. She curled her lip in disgust at herself; 700 years ago or not, she shouldn't be questioning why she had had the dream. She should be relishing in the fact that she could still remember Rosa's angelic face, that memories from so long ago could still be dredged up. Even memories so horrid, so heartbreaking, so painful…

Control finally snapping, she collapsed against the porcelain surface and sobbed into her arms. Deathly cold tears slid down her chin, their faint scent of salt reminding her of Rosa's blood on her hands, on her face, how she had clung to her baby sister for as long as she could.

Why did this have to hurt so much? Why couldn't she just forget it, leave it be?

Then suddenly there was anger flaring inside her, so hot and uncontrollable, it was all she could do not to send her fist through the plaster of the wall. Already, they were sizzling with excess heat. She needed some air, needed to cool down before she truly did lose it.

Sniffling and wiping her eyes with her wrist, she hurried over to the balcony doors and flung them open, a chilly breeze instantly neutralizing the flames of her fury. Balancing and cooling. But not enough.

Jaw clenched painfully, she let forth a roaring burst of flame into the night. Her agonized cry was drowned out by the blast.

Breathing was easier now-the pressure had eased, but the pain didn't recede. Waves of suppressed fury and hurt flooded out in tsunami fashion, constantly moving forward. Only, instead of inevitably receding, this flood couldn't be held back. Not anymore.

Trembling with confusion, anger, regret-all that emotional junk she'd forced away because of its uselessness-she crumpled to the stone beneath her.

For the first time in centuries, she let her tears fall freely.

* * *

Alright, so writing sob stories is just not my cup o' tea. *bangs head against wall* Honestly, I'm in more of a mood to write a parody than a tragedy...ugh, I've been watching Llamas with Hats too much... XD

Anywho, I'd love to hear what you guys think/love/hate about this!

**Translations**

Mi hija: My daughter

Muere demonio: Die, demon.

Déjame, bruja: Leave me, witch. (I think I translated that in the story, but just in case...)


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I don't own Predators.**

_Psst! Please take note of the author's note at the end! Thank you!_

_

* * *

_

Snails…ugh, the barbarians.

Taro's lip curled in a sneer as the fleshy creatures' odor hit him. He would never understand how a human could turn its nose up at his diet while they could eat those things on a regular basis.

The deep richness of dusk wrapped around the bustling populace. Outdoor cafes dotted the street sides, couples chatting and laughing away at nothing in particular as droves of tourists and late-risers pushed past each other in mild aggravation. As early as it was in spring, temperatures were reaching well over 80 degrees in midday, and tensions were higher than usual among the humans. For once, Taro was grateful for an excuse to keep indoors during the day. At least the night offered a cool breeze from the Seine River-at least, he thought it was the Seine River. He'd never been too adept at geography. For all he knew or cared, Paris was the same as any other European city.

A tepid wind brushed over him as he flitted through the crowds, unseen by anyone who wasn't intentionally searching for him. Normally, Taro would have considered loitering around the outdoor eateries to harass a few locals, but he had a more important matter at hand. An important matter that, as much as he would liked to have denied it, was slowly gaining distance between them.

Taro gritted his teeth in agitation. Surely the aging process hadn't hindered him this much? He was moving so fast that he could barely feel his feet make contact with the pavement, yet the scent trail was getting harder to follow by the moment. The trail couldn't have been more than an hour old, and the smell itself was hard to ignore, but for some reason it was almost impossible for Taro to pinpoint. And the snails didn't help.

Taro had first caught a whiff late the previous evening. While the scent had been strange, it wasn't long before he put a name to its source. He wondered if Mateo would reward him for dragging a Yautja back to him-it was well-known among his fellow Council members that Mateo wasn't too fond of the reptilian race. Little was known of how or why the old one dealt with the Yautja, or how much exposure he had had to the alien race, or why he held such resentment towards them. It wasn't spoken of much, considering Mateo's secretive ways.

The river was now completely in view. Taro breathed a quiet sigh of relief when the Yautja's scent finally became stronger. It must have either stopped to rest or was still here. Either way, it was slowing down, which made it easier to keep up with.

By the time he finally stopped, he must have been at least ten or so miles outside of the city, in a small patch of woods. The creatures of the night were going about their way, making their noises, frogs and bugs chittering in that annoyingly light-hearted way that made Taro's skin crawl. The air was less muggy and smelled fresh and clean beyond the Yautja's scent, so Taro couldn't find qualms with that, at least.

The Seine was narrower here, maybe only twenty yards across, and no more than nine feet deep, at most. Taro's sharp eyes probed the flora of the loamy bank, his gaze fervently darting between the swaying weeds and cattails and other shadows created by the moon's pale glow. The Yautja's odor permeated the air in thick waves, the strangely tantalizing scent wrapping around his mind and dulling his senses before he violently shook himself to regain them. It was definitely here, and that thought alone kept him alert.

A bizarre silence settled around the bank. All movement seemed to halt; even the wind ceased blowing. Taro held his breath, slowly inching his heel around and rotating in a full circle to scan his surroundings. He could feel eyes on him…watching him, waiting for him to make a move.

Well, he certainly didn't like to disappoint.

With little more preamble than a stomping of his heel against the soft ground, Taro swiftly jerked his wrists perpendicular to his body, feeling his mind connect with the ground beneath him, his feet rooted to the earth, and yanked a good, solid chunk of the stone up a few yards in front of him.

He hadn't even had time to complete the move when a high-powered blast of blue-white energy blew through the rock as if it were wet tissue paper. Taro smirked dryly, twisting to face the trees behind him, arms raised to erect a shield-though he had just proven that it would be entirely useless.

His sensitive ears could detect the faintest _thump-thump-thump_ of a heartbeat, but he couldn't pinpoint exactly where it originated from. It came from somewhere above him, though, in the trees, where the extrasensory feel of the earth under his feet failed to assist him in locating the alien. The Yautja had the advantage.

The hairs on his arms and the back of his neck stood upright. Adrenaline sparked in his dusty old veins, catching fire in his heart and jolting it to a gallop. This was more exciting than all the events of the last decade combined! Forget Mateo; Taro wanted this one for himself.

Another flash of that light burst before his eyes, briefly illuminating the forest around him. Instinctively, Taro whirled away in a burst of speed, barely dodging the searing hot ball of plasma as it smashed into the ground, sending burning chunks of soil in every direction.

Soon, the night was alive with the blasts, and Taro was evading left and right, ducking and folding himself to avoid the brunt of the powerful attacks. A few blasts managed to singe his dress shirt and burn the ends of his ash gray hair. He tried to find the origin of the plasma blasts, but between the constant swiveling and turning, he was lucky he didn't tumble to the ground from the dizziness, much less be able to lock onto a target.

In a wave of vertigo, he miscalculated how far to step, and a blast of pain ripped through his chest, burning him worse than any amount of silver could. So much for simply dealing with a singe, he thought spastically. The plasma had blown all the way through his shirt, burning its way into his chest cavity…dear Gods, it felt like his lungs and heart were being seared away!

Crumpling to the ground, he managed to stay conscious enough just to witness the lizard-like humanoid's figure crackle with blue light-it was in front of him now, slowly striding towards the writhing vampire with that confident gait of a true predator, the long, tube-like hair swaying with each step.

Taro's eyes widened at its features: light brown, mottled reptilian skin with darker patches around its shoulders, and a long, swirling black pattern adorning its left shoulder and curling down to its hip bone, all covered in a wiry mesh and bulky metal armor. A cold metal mask shielded Taro's eyes from the atrocious visage that he knew lay beneath it, the soulless black lenses glaring down at him like the Devil himself. The irony was not lost on him.

Taro gasped in pain, clumsily gulping air like a fish, as the hulking creature loomed over him, the menacing _snikt_ of the Yautja's wrist blades slicing the very air itself.

He watched his death from the creature's eye lenses with wide eyes; the clean slice through what was left of his chest, the lethal blades effortlessly cleaving his heart in two in a spray of blood that wasn't his own.

His last thought: _that's not silver…_

* * *

Moar grumbled to himself as he wrenched the blades out of the Ooman's chest cavity, irritably flicking its blood off them. Damn it, he had just cleaned those! Damn nosy Oomans, always trying to stick those ridiculous noses of theirs into business that simply wasn't meant for them to know…

Growling, Moar retracted the blades and pulled out a small flask of corrosive fluid that he had stol…er, _borrowed _from Ultan's weapons room. It was a cowardly-not to mention stupid-thing to do, but Moar had seen no other option; Young Bloods were not trusted with such items, so it wasn't like he had any other way of accessing it. And what Ultan didn't know wouldn't hurt the Young Blood too badly. He hoped. Moar had never been on U'rath and wasn't entirely sure of what to expect. Therefore, being the mature and responsible Young Blood-okay, so that was pretty much an oxymoron, but he'd go with it-that he was, he prepared for the worst. In the highly likely event that he killed something, he wasn't going to risk being discovered. He had heard all sorts of stories about the Ooman government, and he wasn't too keen on becoming a statistic of his people.

Which brought him to where he was now, standing over the grotesquely gutted Ooman, sniffing in contempt.

If the stupid creature hadn't insisted on stalking him, perhaps he would have lived. Moar was amazed that it had been able to keep up with him at all; he had no idea Oomans could travel so fast on foot. He almost regretted leaving K'tor's ship out in orbit among all the Ooman satellite junk. Maybe his traveling wouldn't be as discreet, but it would have been faster and more efficient. And he wouldn't have had to deal with the natives.

Bitterness flooded him as he realized that his first Ooman kill wasn't even worth taking any trophies from. It didn't help matters that he had had to kill it in a dishonorable fashion either.

_No matter, _he sighed internally. There were always more.

Drizzling the glowing blue liquid over the cold body, watching as the flesh and bones were slowly eaten away by the acid, he had to wonder why this Ooman male was so cold in the first place. Didn't the instructor in his foreign sciences class say that Oomans were warm-blooded? Not that Moar would remember even if it had been covered. He had clocked more hours of unconsciousness in that class than actually being awake. His only saving grace at passing his classes as an Unblooded was his combat skills.

Moar surveyed the area, now clear of any trace of the Ooman's physical body. Loping along the water's edge, he smoothed out as many of the footprints as he could find. He abruptly halted by the large outcrop of stone that seemed to have been shoved straight from the ground and that was now sporting a clean hole right through the middle. He clicked his mandibles in thought, switching his vision settings to study the layers of the rock, trying to figure out just what in Paya's name had made something like that happen. He might not have paid much attention in his Unblooded classes, but he had common sense, and common sense dictated that stones didn't just randomly pop out of the ground. U'rath wasn't _that_ different from Yaut, after all.

When he couldn't find anything unusual, he growled in agitation and hurried back into the trees to continue his trek from there. Tree bark didn't preserve footprints, after all, and he still had a good half mile before Rai'ken's or Vetrah'se's signal would strengthen. Which meant he was still miles away from the actual position.

It was going to be a long night…

* * *

A/N: Hokey dokey, where to begin, where to begin...

Well, first of all, I'd like to thank everyone who has taken the time to review, and a very special thank-you goes to OceanFire9 for always finding something to say about every chapter and for just being totally awesome and supportive! You guys really are the driving force of this little project of mine, and you have no idea how appreciative I really am! ^_^

Now, that being said, I feel you guys need to know that you deserve better. (Okay, seriously, how cheesy does that sound?) *Ahem* What I mean is that I know there's a lot I can do to improve on this; my setting descriptions are rather bland, my plot is quite thin, and my characters have the depth of a kiddie pool. And, as of late, I've been grasping at straws at what to write about. So, what I plan to do is go through and rewrite this whole thing, from beginning to end, and then post it when I'm certain I have everything thought through. I feel awful that I didn't do that in the first place, but I've learned from my mistake and plan to give you guys a story that you'll actually enjoy reading!

However, please note that I'm not the fastest thinker/typer. Revising this whole thing is going to take awhile, especially since I have only a very shaky idea of what to do with it. Till then, I'll leave this up for anyone who feels like rereading it, unless if I get requests to delete it.

*Epic sigh* Okay, now that my spiel is over...

I hope y'all enjoyed this chapter! Leave a review if you want to. ^_^

P.S.-I meant no offense to anyone who likes snails. xD


	13. Author's Note

*Sigh* The dreaded author's note…I'm sorry I had to do this, and I know it's against the ToS (forgive me!) but I felt it needed to be said. Okay…here it goes:

I am officially discontinuing Once Bitten. I know to most people who read it, it's not a big deal. But to the few who enjoyed it, I am so, SO sorry! Really, you have no idea how long I've been thinking about this. It doesn't seem like it, but I _have_ taken a lot of time to write and edit my story, and unfortunately it just wasn't going together as I felt it should have. Rather than making it better, I've simply been adding to it, which has only made it worse. That, and I've realized that the way I've written it sounds grossly immature and too fantastical. And the worst part is that I have tried to rewrite it numerous times and it always comes out that way. I have much to work on before I even _think_ of writing something again.

I don't know if I will delete Once Bitten since there are some people who have added it to their favorite list. It seems cruel to take away a story when someone liked it, even if it isn't going to be finished…well, in my own opinion. However, if I get requests to delete it, I will do so.

Again, I'm truly sorry for all this and I hope it does not reflect on me in an ill manner if I ever do decide to post something again.

Sincerely,

Clear as Mud


End file.
